(Seguin) — The Seguin Police Department is once again being recognized for using policies and practices that make it one of the best law enforcement agencies in the state.
The renewed recognition comes from the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA), which hosts a voluntary Best Practices Accreditation Program. The Seguin PD first met the program’s strict standards in 2013, and it has continuously worked to maintain its status in the program.
Fair Oaks Ranch Police Chief Todd Smith made the award presentation of TPCA’s Best Practices Re-Recognition Award during Tuesday’s meeting of the Seguin City Council.
“The Texas Police Chiefs Association is made-up of over 1,100 professional police chiefs throughout the state, who are dedicated to improving the delivery of quality police services. I’m here this evening to present the Seguin Police Department with a certificate of reaccreditation for continuing to maintain their compliance with Texas Law Enforcement’s Best Practices Program for the past four years,” said Smith.
The accreditation program is designed to create a clear standard for law enforcement agencies to prove that they are doing things the right way when it comes to policing and serving their communities.
“Several years ago, the Texas Police Chiefs Association developed an accreditation program for Texas law enforcement.
–Many of you know about the accreditation programs for schools, universities and hospitals. They are all programs of professional excellence, and all require proof of compliance with a set of professional standards. Ours is similar. It is a voluntary program where agencies must prove they meet or exceed 173 difficult standards. The standards are based on Texas Law, Texas court decisions, and contemporary best practices as identified by the Texas Police Chiefs Association. These standards address the full range of law enforcement operations, such as use of force, protection of citizen rights, vehicle pursuits, property and evidence management, and patrol and investigative operations, just to name a few,” said Smith.
Chief Smith says the stringent standards included in the program are what sets the Seguin PD apart from many of the other law enforcement agencies across the state. It focuses on every aspect of policing.
“This program has become the new gold standard for professional law enforcement in Texas and agencies across the state, who are working diligently to meet these requirements. Approximately 12 years ago, your police department first attained their accredited status with the TPCA, and it was not easy to do. The agency had to conduct a complete audit of all of its policies, procedures and operations in order to meet these standards. Since that time, the agency has submitted annual reports that were reviewed to ensure they continue to meet the standards and continue to provide the citizens of Seguin with effective police service,” said Smith.
Smith says the fact that the Seguin PD has consistently been part of the program since first acquiring its designation — is something that should also be applauded. He says they again went through the process, which included on-site visits from accreditors earlier this year. The TPCA’s Accreditation Committee would then unanimously approve the Seguin PD’s re-accreditation status.
“Of the over 2,800 law enforcement agencies in Texas, only 218 agencies have achieved accredited status, and fewer than that have been reaccredited. This evening, we officially recognize the Seguin Police Department for their outstanding performance,” said Smith.
He says this is special recognition for the men and women at the Seguin PD, but he says it’s also a special award that impacts the entire community.
“Now, what does this mean to your community? The accreditation program assures both city management and the citizens of Seguin that their police department is operating in a manner that reflects the current best practices of Texas law enforcement. It means your police department is continually striving for professional excellence. It means your police department is one of the very best in this state,” said Smith.
Seguin Police Chief Jason Brady congratulated his team for the hard work that it takes to maintain this recognition. He also thanked those who originally decided that the department needed to adopt these standards.
“This has been a long process for us, but I do want to recognize my predecessors. So, you know (former) Chief (Kevin) Kelso saw value in this program and brought it to Seguin. And then (former) Chief (Terry) Nichols had an opportunity to let it go — and let me tell you as a chief, that’s an easy decision to make because it’s a lot of work. It’s a financial expense. We have to dedicate staff, and pull them off other things, but he saw value in and as did I. We believe in this community, and we want to demonstrate to our citizens that we are following the best practices and we’re proving that we (are doing the work). There’s an element of that called proofs — where we have to (and) not just say we’re doing certain things, but (we have) to prove it. So, we want our community to know that we’re striving for excellence to serve them. So, I think a lot of chiefs see tremendous value in it, and I’m just blessed that we inherited a department that had that,” said Brady.
Brady also thanked members of his administrative team and each member of the various divisions at the Seguin Police Department for their dedication to this overall work. He brought up representatives from the entire department during Tuesday’s council meeting. He says this recognition requires a total team effort.
In addition to offering the Best Practices program, the Texas Police Chiefs Association also works to promote, encourage and advance the professional development of chiefs of police and senior police management personnel throughout the State of Texas.