Greenwood Lake Police Attention to Detail Results in Accreditation
A meticulous two and a half year process brought New York State Division of Criminal Justice Accreditation to Greenwood Lake Police Department
By Vera Miller
Among the goings on in this centennial year for Greenwood Lake is recognition that the Greenwood Lake Police Department has met the requirements of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Accreditation Program. Only about 33% of New York State law enforcement agencies have accredited status.
New York was the first state in the country to create a Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, launched in 1989, according to the program website. Its standards have been revised and updated since then to reflect changes in policing standards. Agencies voluntarily apply for the process of accreditation that requires meeting 110 criteria in three categories—administration, training, and operations. Law enforcement agencies awarded accreditation must maintain compliance with those standards for five years and then reapply every five years to renew their accredited status. The program’s purpose is to assesses an agency’s effectiveness, professionalism and training.
Greenwood Lake Police Department was awarded accreditation late in 2023 after a lengthy and intensive review, Chief of Police Adam Eiran said. He has been with the Greenwood Lake Police Department for 16 years, rising through the ranks to his current position after playing varied roles within the department.
He explained that the process of achieving accreditation took two and a half years and was an effort of the entire department. Sergeant Leanne Gayler took courses to be certified in managing and navigating the process. Sergeant Daniel Jones and Detective Jason Dwyer were extensively involved, as was Dispatcher Shauna Schwetje, Eiran said.
“The program is here to stay. Officers have bought into the standards of excellence,” Eiran said. “Great departments can be not accredited and still function well, but many police departments across the state are moving in the direction of becoming accredited.” The Town of Warwick Police Department also received accreditation in 2023.
Eiran noted that while the process was long and painstaking, the department was mostly where it needed to be. Not many changes were required in how the department conducts business or interacts with the community. The accreditation program requires compliance with 110 specific standards that include statements of policies and procedures, protocols and documentation supporting criminal investigations and particular training program requirements.
Specific standards are also required for operations and administration of the department. For instance, a fenced compound was created to comply with standards for securing vehicles impounded during crime investigations, so only police have access to impounded vehicles. Additional standards apply to planning, budgeting and procedure manuals, which had to be rewritten or updated. This attention to detail was time-consuming.
Once the process was completed, three assessors did a three-day audit and determined that all standards were met. Eiran attributed this success to the department’s “dedication and buy-in.”
“An independent third party certifying compliance with such exacting standards builds public confidence,” he said.
Mayor Matt Buckley commended the achievement. He expressed confidence that cooperation between the community, police, and Village government will aid success of the newly constituted Traffic Safety Committee as well as the committee that will review and update the Village’s Comprehensive Plan.
Buckley also predicted that accreditation would result in concrete benefits to the entire community, including advantages in pursuing grants for new or updated equipment. He commended the police department’s training program and confirmed that few substantive changes in policy were required for accreditation.
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