Goshen Village Police Department earns NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation

On Thursday March 6, the Goshen Village Police Department received a certificate of accreditation at the Law Enforcement Accreditation Council meeting in Albany, NY.

The Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program is voluntary and designed to “improve an agency’s effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism; promote training and foster public confidence in law enforcement,” the police department explained in its announcement. Police departments and sheriffs’ offices are eligible to participate in the program.

Agencies must meet a set of standards in three categories: Administration, Training, and Operations. “Accreditation provides formal recognition that an agency meets or exceeds expectations of quality; demonstrates that the agency performs in a professional manner, has formalized policies in place to govern its operational practices and procedures, and that its employees contribute to the agency’s mission and know what is expected of them,” the announcement continued.

The police department underwent a three-day inspection this past January by a team of assessors from the program, which included 185 interviews with members of the department and 64 independent observations of the agency’s operations.

Goshen Village Police Chief Ryan W. Rich said, “I am greatly honored to announce the department’s achievement of NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation. This is a major accomplishment for our agency and the Village of Goshen community. Our success would not have been possible without the efforts of prior Police Chief James C. Watt who began the program many years ago. Thank you to Village Mayor Molly O’Donnell and the board of trustees for their support during this process. I would also like to commend the department’s accreditation manager, Sgt. Robert Kozlowski for his unwavering effort, hard work, and dedication to this program. Lastly, I would like to thank my entire staff. Their professionalism, integrity, and commitment were on display during the three-day assessment in January. I am extremely proud of each and every one of them.”

Mayor O’Donnell stated, “I am proud of the entire village police department for this incredible achievement. We know here in Goshen that our police officers go above and beyond for our community every day, and receiving this accreditation is confirmation of the excellent work being done here in the Village of Goshen. Congratulations to Chief Rich and accreditations manager Sergeant Kozlowski for their hard work, dedication and leadership. Keep up the great work!”

The police department also noted that, of the roughly 532 law enforcement agencies in New York State, less than 200 of them are currently accredited.

For more information on NYS Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, visit: criminaljustice.ny.gov/ops/accred/accred11.htm.