Birmingham police receives MACP accreditation

By Lisa Brody

Following an extensive accreditation process, the Birmingham Police Department has officially obtained the status of an accredited agency through the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

Birmingham Police Chief Mark Clemence was awarded the official certificate of accreditation by Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) Director of Professional Development Neal Rossow, MACP Executive Director Robert Stevenson, and MACP President Ronald Wiles at the Birmingham City Commission meeting on Monday, August 23.

Accreditation is a progressive way of helping law enforcement agencies assess and improve
their overall performances. A thorough self-analysis was completed to determine which existing operations already met some of the accreditation standards, and how procedures could be adapted to meet the standards and professional objectives.

Once procedures were in place, a team of trained state commission assessors verified that applicable standards were successfully implemented. A hearing was held by the accreditation commission to review the assessors’ report and conduct an interview with Clemence and the accreditation team. The accreditation commission voted unanimously to approve the Birmingham Police Department accredited status.

The Birmingham Police Department is one of only six percent of all law enforcement agencies, along with the Bloomfield Township Police Department, in the state that have reached this accreditation status.

“As chief of police it is my duty to ensure we deliver the highest quality standards, transparency with the public, and meet the needs and expectations of our citizens. This program goes a long way to ensure we do all of those things,” said Clemence. “The men and women who serve this department work extremely hard and I could not be more proud of them.”