In 2019, the Newtown Township Police Department completed a multi-year process to achieve accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC) which is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. The Department also achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) which is sponsored by the International Chiefs of Police Association. The Newtown Township Police Department was the third police department in Delaware County to achieve accreditation from PLEAC. It was the first Department in Delaware County and the ninth municipal police department in Pennsylvania to achieve accreditation from CALEA. In 2023, the Newtown Township Police Department was awarded reaccreditation from both PLEAC and CALEA.
Accreditation was originally developed to address what was seen as a need to enhance law enforcement as a profession and to improve law enforcement service delivery. Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping institutions evaluate and improve their overall performance. The cornerstone of this strategy lies in the publishing of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. Accreditation programs were designed and developed by professional law enforcement executives to provide a reasonable and cost effective plan for the professionalization of law enforcement agencies.
Please use the following respective logos to learn more about the benefits of each accreditation program: