The Upper Saucon Township Police Department entered the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC) process in May of 2003.  We received our first Certificate of Law Enforcement Accreditation from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association on December 16, 2006.  The department has been re-accredited in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 & 2021 and is 1 of 149 law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to currently maintain accredited status. 

The accreditation concept and practice are well established in other professional organizations.  For many years, hospitals, universities, and other professional fields have undergone accreditation to prove compliance with a set of professional standards.  The concept of accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping organizations evaluate and improve their overall performance.

PLEAC Accreditation requires the department to comply with 139 proven standards that address four areas:  Organization and Management Roles, Law Enforcement Functions, Staff Support Responsibilities, and Pennsylvania Legal Mandates.  Accreditation is an ongoing process whereby the agency is required to establish policy and procedures in compliance with established criteria and have compliance with that criteria verified by independent assessors during an on-site assessment.  These assessors review training records, services, equipment, policies and procedures, and participate in ride-alongs to verify compliance with the acceptable best practices as set forth by the Commission.  Accreditation affects every component of the agency and assures the community is receiving the best in professional police services.

The community we serve can take pride in knowing that their police department represents the very best in Pennsylvania law enforcement.  Some of the benefits of accreditation for our police agency are as follows:

• Established a credible framework for evaluating agency practices and procedures
• Reduces agency risk and exposure to liability
• Improves law enforcement community relations
• Increases employee input, interaction and confidence in the agency
• Enlarges the outlook and viewpoints of managers, officers, and employees
• Identifies and highlights the capabilities and competence of the agency
• Furnishes a solid foundation for the agency to build upon for further progress
• Provides reliable methods to improve essential management procedures
• Extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials, Enhances planning and innovation activities by all agency personnel
• Develops improved methods for providing services to the community
• Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency