The swissvale police departments jurisdiction intends to do a comprehensive review and evaluation of its policies, procedures, and operations against established national standards

The department intends to promote professionalism, accountability, and transparency within its ranks and wants to enhance the department's ability to provide effective and efficient law enforcement services to the community. The accreditation process will include an assessment of compliance with best practices and standards as established by our accrediting entity pennsylvania law enforcement accreditation commission (pleac). Swissvale PD is focusing on: use of force, community policing, training, personnel practices, increasing trust in the police and accountability. A management team was organized within the department that includes the chief and 2 sergeants that have extensive experience in policy and police operations/procedures. Proposals from management consultants have been received that can help conduct an independent assessment of strength and weakness in the department's policies and procedures. The project team will work closely with all department areas to ensure that the accreditation process is effective, and that the department is able to provide high-quality services to the community. The team will revise existing policies and procedures to comply with accreditation standards and adopt others to meet the policy standards established by pleac. A training plan will be developed to instruct staff on the policies and procedures developed for the accreditation process. This training will be ongoing and will include both initial training for new hires and refresher training for existing staff. This will include reviews from formal organizations and elected officials as well as public forums to elicit community feedback. The management team will coordinate with pleac to ensure that all necessary information is submitted, and that the formal assessment is conducted smoothly. Swissvale will develop a number of metrics to track success including: improving public safety, increasing transparency and accountability, enhancing community trust and confidence, and increasing efficiency and effectiveness.