Politics & Government
Upper Macungie Police Department to Seek Accreditation
New Upper Macungie police chief says extensive accreditation process will strengthen new department's accountability and limit its liability.
The Upper Macungie Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to approve a recommendation from the police chief of the new township police department for a police accreditation process.
Police Chief Edgardo Colon wants his new department to get involved in a process provided by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. The commission comes under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.
Colon said the process is extensive, lasting from 18 months to two years. However, he said, accreditation would “strengthen the agency’s accountability and limit the agency’s liability.”
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The new police department currently is testing and hiring law enforcement officers, a process that will be completed by the end of this year.
The new department plans to assume full responsibilities from the current law enforcement team, the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department, in early 2013.
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The township held a swearing-in ceremony for the police chief and two lieutenants in August.
The department’s 12,000-square-foot facility is centrally located on the grounds of the township’s municipal building on Schantz Road.