Process to reaccredit cops ends

The Boardman police chief pointed to expense and fewer staff as the reasons.

staff report

BOARDMAN — In 2006, it became the first Mahoning Valley police department to earn national accreditation.

Two years later, the township is the first one to suspend participation in the accreditation process.

Police Chief Patrick Berarducci pointed to a smaller budget and the loss of staff as reasons.

The costs for accreditation since the department began pursuing it through now was estimated at more than $500,000, he said. The cost to be reaccredited this year would be about $127,000, the chief said.

Those numbers include salary amounts for those charged with overseeing the process.

The department’s 2009 budget appropriation is expected to be about $1 million lower than it was in 2005.

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., or CALEA, the national board, awarded accreditation to the department after an examination of the department’s conformity to 440 standards that address all aspects of police work. The assessment was to ensure the department had policies addressing those standards.

Since the accreditation process started, the department is down 12 sworn positions and 10 civilian positions. Several support personnel within the police department were laid off earlier this year as the township copes with a budget crunch.

“The administrative framework in place and created by the past accreditation effort is invaluable to me and the department,” Berarducci said. “I will forever be grateful for the work that was done getting us to this point. We will continue to be governed by those policies and procedures. We will continue to re-examine the policies and when needed, we will change them to better serve this department. We will also continue with peer review of the department, but in the end, we are about the job of policing. That must be our focus and our limited resources must be used to that end.”

CALEA representatives at the time of the department’s award said that accreditation provides accountability for a department, alerting its officials to deficiencies or problems so they can be addressed before a crisis erupts.

Berarducci said he would notify CALEA in writing of the township’s decision to suspend participation in the process until budget appropriations and staffing levels stabilize at a more acceptable level.