Command staff at the Concord Police Department began an internal review of the department’s policies and procedures this week that would make them eligible for state accreditation in the coming years as part of a new state program. 

Through the accreditation program, the department, alongside nearly 220 other eligible law enforcement agencies across the state, will be able to evaluate their policies and bring them up to national standards, according to the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council, which will run the program with the newly former Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. New Hampshire joins 36 other states with a functioning law enforcement accreditation program.

Several of the policies and procedures that the Concord Police Department will review include use of force, excessive force, mental health responses, mass shootings, bomb threats, drug procedures, strip search policies, said Deputy Chief John Thomas. 

“I think the majority of the community doesn’t know what the accreditation is and they don’t understand the importance or the significance of it,” he said. “This will give us the stamp saying the department is doing things the right way and we are in tune with policies, procedures and practices.”

Police are often held to a higher standard than the public realize and the percentage of departments that are currently accredited is low. Of all the law enforcement departments in the state, only 17 or about 8%, including Goffstown and Laconia police departments, hold accreditation. 

“In the end, when a police agency and a municipality work toward accreditation, I think, in essence, that agency and that municipality are telling the residents of that community ‘we are dedicated to doing the very bets job we can,’” said John Scippa, director of the Police Standards and Training . “We see this as being important when we provide policing services to our communities.”

Though the program is voluntary, Scippa strongly encourages all departments – especially small and medium sized ones – to work toward accreditation, which will align them with national standards by conducting assessment, self-regulation, training and data collection. 

Long-term benefits include greater accountability to the public and within the agency, reduction in agency risk, increased support from government officials and increased community advocacy. 

The New Hampshire Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission was established by Governor Chris Sununu in 2022 to provide recommendations and continual review of policies and procedures within police departments across the state. When the former accreditation program was disbanded in the 1990s, an informal group from the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police continued to work with local departments on how to best create an accreditation program in the state. 

“We looked at Massachusetts and how they run their state level accreditation program for guidance as we were building hours,” Scippa said. “The process deals with policies and developing best practices from a policy perspective.”

When the Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission was established, police chiefs said the new program could help increase the number departments that participate. Creating a state-administered accreditation would, in theory, allow the council to lower costs for departments, especially smaller police forces that couldn’t afford a costly process. 

“As a police chief and longtime supporter of law enforcement accreditation, it is imperative that now more than ever, we serve our communities with the utmost compassion, accountability and professionalism,” said Stratham Police Chief Anthony King, who chairs the NHLEAC. “By supporting the new accreditation program, this shows that as a profession made up of men and women, civilian and sworn, we are all working together to bring the standards of law enforcement in this state to a new level.” 

The program is now open to all police forces in New Hampshire.

“I really hope that most agencies take advantage of  this,” Thomas said. 

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