The Vicksburg Police Department has regained accreditation through the Mississippi Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. The department was found to be in compliance with the Mississippi state standards and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies standards.

“We are very proud of this accomplishment,” Vicksburg police Chief Walter Armstrong said.

Out of 418 law enforcement agencies in Mississippi, Vicksburg is one of 27 accredited by the MLEAC. To be accredited the department has to meet 142 standards and prove they have met those standards by keeping detailed paperwork on each. Every three years the police department is accessed to decide whether the department will keep their accreditation.

“It’s a two-day process by which they go through all 142 files and review and make sure we’ve actually met the standard on each one of these files,” VPD accreditation manager Lt. Michael Bryant said. “Then they tour our facility.”

Bryant said he spoke with the head of the Mississippi assessment team Robert Morgan often during the process and that Morgan expressed his approval of the shape of the department. Bryant said the standards serve as a goal for the department to reach.

“It establishes a level of professionalism within each department,” Bryant said. “Basically, it shows that we are performing to a standard that has been set by the national organization CALEA and mirrored by the Mississippi Accreditation Commission.”

An email from the VPD said some of the standards that are covered included a wide range of law enforcement tasks like wearing reflective vests at accident scenes, vehicle pursuits, response and resistance. Armstrong said its great to have a list of clear policies that govern the department. This way, he said, they can be held accountable for their actions.

“If we engage the public or if we take any action at all, we can relay back to our polices,” Armstrong said. “Not only do we have these policies but they have been tried and tested through the accreditation commission as well as the accreditation manager.”

The public was invited to give feedback about the local police department by phone call at a designated time in December, but Bryant said no calls were received.

“No news is good news,” Bryant said.

Vicksburg was originally accredited in March 2013, and this was their first time the VPD was up for reaccreditation. The department will undergo their next reaccreditation assessment in December 2018.