By Sgt Chris Coverly 

Oxford Borough Police Department received special recognition earlier this year with one of the highest honors a police agency can achieve.

On April 25th, the Accreditation Commission presented Oxford police with an official certification from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC).

Introduced in July 2001 by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, just 183 agencies have received accredited status. Accreditation is an ongoing process whereby the agency must establish policy and procedures against established criteria and comply with those criteria, verified by three independent assessors during a mock and on-site assessment. In early February 2024, the assessors reviewed training, services, equipment, and policies and participated in “ride-along” to verify compliance with the accepted best practices by PLEAC. Accreditation affects every agency component and ensures the community receives professional police services.

According to Chief Sam Iacono, the process for Oxford to complete the accreditation took 18 months, and the department must continue to meet the standards.

Sergeant Chris Coverly served as the police department’s Accreditation Manager.  “This achievement could not have been reached without the leadership of Mayor Philip Harris and the chief believing in us. Detective Adam Weaver was instrumental in this process to complete our task. Additionally, the extraordinary efforts of our consultant team from Aspirant.”

Mayor Philip Harris “Oxford continues to work proactively to build a culture in the police department that builds trust between law enforcement and the local community. The department is committed to enacting innovative community policing and maintain policies that: protect the sanctity of life; eliminate systemic bias and racism; provide excellent service with understanding, compassion, and integrity; and create and maintain strong community partnership. The Oxford Police Department has made significant investments to improving information sharing, forging stronger community partnerships, and building trust with citizens. These include educational programming with the school district and exploring partnerships with mental health care providers to better serve citizens in crisis”.

“The PLEAC recognition symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and competence in the law enforcement profession. The accreditation also gives some benefits to the police department. Some of those benefits include a reduction in agency risk and exposure to lawsuits, a decrease in some liability insurance expenditures, and improved law enforcement-community relations”, explained Chief Iacono.

Photo : left to right: Mayor Philip Harris, Detective Adam Weaver, Chief Sam Iacono, Sergeant Chris Coverly, Maddie Lewis (Aspirant Consulting), John String (Aspirant Consulting)