FARMINGTON – Tuesday night, the police department was recognized as the sixteenth law enforcement agency in the state to be fully accredited through the Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, out of approximately 120 departments. They are the second agency in Franklin County to be fully accredited.
The program, designed by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association and administered in part by Dirigo Safety, is a voluntary program for law enforcement agencies to demonstrate compliance with the current best practices for Maine law enforcement.
There are a total of 167 standards that must be met to achieve accreditation. The Farmington Police Department reworked their policies and practices to meet those standards, which cover critical aspects of law enforcement operations, such as the use of force, protection of citizen rights, property and evidence management, pursuits, and patrol and investigative operations. The standards were established in 2020 by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association. The process involves self-assessment by the department, along with evaluation by trained assessors.
Shawn O’Leary, with Dirigo Safety, presented members of the police department with the accreditation award and a plaque during the select board meeting. The accreditation is valid for three years.
“I think if you ask anyone from the Farmington Police Department, it was not easy at all. It was a lot of work,” O’Leary said. “Accomplishing this is a big task.”
The presentation of the award received a standing ovation from the select board and the audience.
Police Chief Kenneth Charles said that the award is the result of a team effort with his entire department, including with office assistant Jocelyn Kelley who helped streamline the training records and support the implementation of new policies. He also recognized Deputy Chief Shane Cote, who has worked with Charles through the transition into his position as chief and through the process of accreditation.
Charles was confirmed as chief of police on February 9, 2021.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for a really supportive community, a really supportive board of selectmen and of course, Mr. Waller and Mr. Davis before him,” Charles said. “It’s us developing the policies and the procedures, implementing the training… but then the attentiveness of our entire staff which as you know, this time last year, it wasn’t much more than the number of people we have here tonight.”
Currently the department is mostly staffed, with one patrol position and the detective position left to fill. They started 2022 with five vacancies, over half of their patrol officer positions.
Charles also briefly introduced the new office manager for the department, Lynne Cary. Cary has previously worked as the business manager for MSAD 58 and is in the process of transitioning positions. She will start full time on February 13.
This meeting was recorded by Mt. Blue TV and may be viewed online at MtBlueTV.org
