The Marion Police Department is now one of 58 departments across the state that has received full accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.

On Tuesday night, Police Chief Lincoln Miller informed Selectmen of the achievement along with some of the officers who put in long hours during the process.

Miller noted that every officer in the department helped during the evaluation, which sets standards in several areas of law enforcement.

“It’s not just a couple of people, it’s an entire department that got us to this level,” Miller said. “It’s a great honor not only for the police department, but for the town.”

Certification by the commission is an award given to police departments that comply with high standards established by other departments around the nation.

In Plymouth County, Marion is one of four departments to have earned the distinction.

Miller said he set his sights on accreditation 15 years ago when he was hired as the town’s chief.

At that time, an antiquated police headquarters made accreditation unlikely. In 2010, the department moved into a new $3.8 million facility on Route 6 that housed additional offices, holding cells, an expanded emergency command center and other amenities.

Miller thanked current Selectmen and previous board members for supporting the new station.

To guide the accreditation process, Miller appointed Lt. John Garcia as Marion’s accreditation manager.

In May 2014, the commission awarded a state certification to the department, which is a step in the accreditation process. One year later, Garcia had helped usher the department towards full accreditation.

Garcia, who appeared before Selectmen alongside officer Karen Ballinger and Sgt. Jeffrey Tripp, praised Ballinger for her assistance.

Garcia said Ballinger, who has been a commission assessor since 2005, provided many suggestions that led to few corrections when the accreditation application was submitted.

“She made sure we came through the process very, very clean,” Garcia said.

The process, which is voluntary, begins with an internal assessment of department practices.

Following the self-assessment, a team from the commission performed their own evaluation.

Miller said officers will continue to follow the standards established and make policy changes as necessary.

“It’s an ever changing process. It doesn’t stop just because we received the award,” Miller said.

The accreditation lasts for three years and then the department will be up for renewal. The department intends to seek re-accreditation in 2018.

The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. To become accredited, Marion met all mandatory standards and at least 55 percent of the optional standards.