Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Somerville Police Chief Shumeane Benford are honored to announce that the Somerville Police Department (SPD) this month has earned its third consecutive Accreditation award from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC), following an in-depth and detailed assessment process. Accreditation is a self-initiated process by which police agencies voluntarily strive to meet and maintain standards on best practices that have been established for the law enforcement profession. 

“I’m grateful for our Police Department’s unwavering commitment to best serving our community, and I want to congratulate SPD on this meaningful recognition,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. 

Achieving Accreditation status indicates that the agency is committed to meeting professional standards, is willing to be regularly assessed to confirm compliance, and agrees to correct any deficiencies discovered during the process to establish or re-establish compliance with the program standards.

To achieve Reaccreditation, SPD was required to meet all 274 of the program’s mandatory standards and 78 optional standards. SPD exceeded this requirement, meeting 85 of the optional standards. Many of the standards aim to verify that the agency has specific, written policies, procedures, or directives covering various aspects of its operations, including police services to the public, internal administration and organization, training and development, facilities, equipment, and more.

The process, overseen by SPD Accreditation Manager Sgt. Marc DiFava included a self-assessment by the department and a multi-day, on-site assessment by a trained team of Commission-appointed assessors. Assessors visited Somerville in January 2025 to evaluate the agency’s compliance with MPAC standards. Following the visit, the Commission voted to approve SPD’s Reaccreditation. Accreditation awards are granted for three-year periods, and SPD will be due for Reaccreditation once again in 2028.

“Achieving Reaccreditation is a major milestone for our department and the community members we serve. Our team, led by Sgt. DiFava worked extremely hard to ensure we met and exceeded each standard in the process,” said Chief Benford. “The designation recognizes our commitment to the highest industry standards and the importance of our policies and practices in upholding the values of our community through equitable, fair, and accountable police practice.”

SPD first received Accreditation in 2019 and was reaccredited in 2022. The department previously earned MPAC Certification in 2017, which is typically attained by agencies prior to Accreditation. 

Somerville is one of 121 agencies currently accredited by MPAC. To learn more about the Commission, Accreditation, and its benefits, visit masspoliceaccred.net.