Police officials earn honors

BPD also unveiled a K-9 monument.
By ZACH STIPE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- The township police department celebrated its accreditation award by a commissioner from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in a ceremony at the department's headquarters.
Accreditation was a three-year process that required the Boardman Township Police Department to conform to 440 standards that address all aspects of police work.
Richard Holden, a commissioner from CALEA, traveled to Boardman and presented chief Jeffrey Patterson, his department and the trustees with the award plaque.
"[Accreditation] takes a good agency and makes it better," Patterson said.
Robyn Gallitto, trustee board chairwoman, said she thinks it is important for the community to be able to hold its department up against an objective set of international standards.
Officer Dean Lysowski, the accreditation manager, admitted that he was originally skeptical of the process, but quickly changed his opinion once he realized the benefits and acclaim accreditation could offer.
"If I could sum [accreditation] up in one word, it'd be 'accountability,'" Lysowski said. "Accreditation requires you to keep up with changes [in laws]."
Celebration
The public ceremony began with a representative for U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, presenting the department with a certificate of special recognition by the congressman.
Before introducing Holden, Patterson described the three-year accreditation process. The chief said that an assessment team spent three days examining every aspect of the department as well as observing a public hearing.
During his speech, Holden described the significance of being accredited.
"It's no small feat and no small task," Holden said. "It takes everyone in the department to get accredited."
Holden had every member of the department in the audience stand and receive applause.
"This is a milestone for you," he said. "I applaud you and I'm so proud to be here."
Before formally presenting the plaque to Patterson, Holden reminded the department that "this is not an ending, but a beginning on the trail of excellence."
The department will continue to be assessed once every three years by a CALEA team.
In addition to the plaque presentation, a K-9 Memorial Monument was announced. The monument was created from public donations and can be seen outside at the front of the police department.
The department wanted to honor its police dogs, which develop a close relationship with officers, officials said.
The ceremony was the final stage in a lengthy process that made the township the first community to have an accredited police department in Mahoning County.
In December 2005, a CALEA assessment team examined every aspect of the department, including the department's conformity to the 440 standards.
Patterson, Lysowski and three other department members traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., in late March, where they were certified as an accredited police department.