MARION — The Marion Police Department announced Tuesday, July 2 it had been re-accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.

The department earned unanimous re-accreditation Wednesday, June 26, according to a press release from the Marion Police Department.

Accreditation is a self-initiated evaluation process, the press release said.

Participating departments complete an internal self-review and are assessed externally by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.

“The process is a voluntary evaluation by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the top standards of law enforcement,” the release said. “It is considered the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the established best practices around the country and region.”

To earn accreditation, the Marion Police Department had to meet all 257 mandatory standards of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation program as well as at least 55% of 125 optional standards. 

Those standards cover emergency response planning, training, communications, use of force, vehicular pursuit, property and evidence handling, policy development, prisoner transportation and holding facilities and “reflect critical areas of police management, operations and technical support activities,” the press release said.

The Marion Police Department will be up for re-accreditation again in 2027.