The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission offers two program awards: certification and accreditation, with accreditation being the higher of the two.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has announced that crews will be conducting maintenance operations at specific locations on I-90 westbound in West Stockbridge and Becket beginning Monday, Sept. 30, and continuing through to Thursday, Oct. 3.
“It was a teamwide effort. The best part of it is we were the first department in Berkshire County to get accredited [by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission."
-- Police Chief William Walsh
Accreditation is a long and vigorous self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the highest standards of law enforcement practice.
Walsh had told The Edge in an earlier article that following the accreditation manual — which, by the way, is very thick — and using “best practices” reduces all kinds of liability and gives the town “a little break” on insurance. "It's an honor for the town," Walsh told the Selectboard.
Police Chief William Walsh says his department is aware of Great Barrington’s “downtown [drug dealing] activity” and they monitor it. “We have to walk the line between harassing people and doing our job … we know who the players are.”
