Somerset Borough Police Earn Accreditation
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, April 11, 2010
Patrick Buchnowski pbuchnowski@tribdem.com
SOMERSET — Police in Somerset Borough are among a chosen few.
The department recently was awarded accredited status by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.
It is the only police department in Somerset and Cambria counties to obtain accreditation, said Richard Hammon, accreditation project coordinator for the state Chiefs of Police Association in Harrisburg.
Only 66 of Pennsylvania’s more than 1,100 police departments have achieved accreditation since the program began in 2001, Hammon said.
“It says Chief (Randy) Cox is an outstanding chief and a progressive thinker,” he said. “It speaks highly of the officers of Somerset. You could see the pride the officers had in obtaining this.”
There are 135 commission standards dealing with procedures of vehicle pursuits, use of force, detention of prisoners, storage of evidence and other law-enforcement issues.
The program is designed to improve policing procedures and drive down insurance rates while providing greater accountability to the public.
“An objective third party has come in and verified that the citizens’ police department is operating at the highest level of professionalism,” Cox said, when asked what accreditation means to the citizens of the community.
A commission member will present a certification of accreditation to the department at 7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Borough Council meeting.
The department operates with eight full-time and 11 part-time officers in a borough with more than 6,300 residents.
Cox began the accreditation process when he arrived in Somerset in 2004 to take the chief’s job, Borough Manager Benedict G. Vinzani Jr. said.
“It was one of the first things that Randy said he wanted to do,” Vinzani said. “He was very focused and followed through.”
The goal of accreditation was put on hold for a few years until the department moved into its renovated building, Cox said.
Cox, along with officers Richard Appel, Philip Staib and Stephen Borosky worked long hours providing reports and completing forms necessary to prove the department is in compliance.
“It’s not rocket science, but it’s intensive,” Cox said.
Three members of the commission’s accreditation team spent two days poring over documents and photographs before voting unanimously to approve accreditation.
And, in some ways, the review process has not ended.
“When you become accredited, you’re just getting started,” Hammon said. “It’s good for three years. Then you go back and do it all over again.”
April 17, 2010
Laurels and barbs
The Tribune-Democrat
— Laurel: Somerset Borough residents should be feeling extra proud these days of their men and women in blue. The police department recently was awarded accredited status by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. What makes it especially noteworthy is that Somerset is the only police department in Somerset and Cambria counties to obtain accreditation, according to the state Chiefs of Police Association in Harrisburg. Only 66 of Pennsylvania’s more than 1,100 police departments have achieved accreditation since the program began in 2001. There are 135 commission standards dealing with procedures of vehicle pursuits, use of force, detention of prisoners, storage of evidence and other law-enforcement issues. Hats off to Chief Randy Cox and his officers.
Learn more about the Somerset Police Department Accreditation