At Tuesday’s Falls Church City Council Meeting, the City’s Police Department was officially awarded the Certification of Accreditation in recognition of a successful completion of the certification process through the Virginia Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

To obtain accreditation, a voluntary process in Virginia, a law enforcement agency must meet all applicable program standards, maintain their accreditation files on an on-going basis, and provide annual verifications of compliance as required by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission. For an agency to maintain accredited status, an intensive on-site assessment of its policies and operations is required every four years to assure that the agency remains in compliance. It is one of the only means by which citizens and government leaders can be assured that an agency is maintaining a high level of performance and service to the community. Of 417 eligible departments in Virginia, 85 are accredited.