San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standbridge presents a special award to the Seguin Police Department. Chief Stanbridge also serves as the past-president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association. The association is recognizing the Seguin PD as one of the top law enforcement agencies in the state through its Best Practices program.
Seguin) — The Seguin Police Department is again being recognized as one of the top law enforcement agencies in the state. The recognition is based on the police department’s participation in the Best Practices program sponsored by the Texas Police Chiefs Association. The department first met the program’s stringent standards in 2013. It again recently completed the process, and has received the Best Practices Re-Recognition Award.
The award was presented to Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols during Tuesday’s meeting of the Seguin City Council. Stan Standbridge, the immediate past president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, made the presentation. Standbridge, who also serves as the chief of police for the city of San Marcos, says this is a difficult process to complete, and the community should be proud of this accomplishment and proud of the service of the men and women at the Seguin PD.
“When Chief Nichols comes before his city council and says hey, we are being re-recognized for the third time, what does that really translate to? That means two outside assessors, chiefs, came to this city and they dug around in your backyard for two full days. They probably spoke to the hotel attendants wherever they stayed. They probably spoke to the convenience store clerks. Obviously, they spoke to police employees both sworn and civilian and they just dug in your backyard trying to determine do you in fact reflect the 170 Best Practices. Tonight, it’s my honor to stand with Chief Nichols, a personal and professional friend, and say ‘yes’ resoundingly this is a recognized agency. The Seguin Police Department is a great agency and it’s my honor to present the re-recognition,” said Standbridge.
Standbridge says this is a real badge of honor for the Seguin PD. He says most law enforcement agencies don’t go through this rigorous process. He says it’s a demonstration of the department’s commitment to professionally serving this community.
“There are about 2,720 Texas agencies. Think about that, over 2,700 Texas agencies. As of this evening, there are only 173 of them that are recognized within the Law Enforcement Best Practices Program. That means I have a lot of work ahead. So, the fact that your police department is not only one of those 173 but on their third go around speaks of volumes for your leadership and your police department’s leadership,” said Standbridge.
The Best Practices Award is more than just a title. Standbridge says it’s a real reflection of how the Seguin Police Department serves the people of Seguin. He says these policies and procedures matter when it comes to providing the best possible police service for the people of Seguin.
“You are reducing your risks and you’re reducing your liability by promulgating policies and there are 170 of them. They govern use of force, pursuit driving, records and retention and this is a big one that a lot of people don’t even think about property and evidence. When you go for a criminal prosecution, you have to make sure that the evidence has been accounted for and so that’s one of the things that we really dig deep,” said Standbridge.
Standbridge says the Texas Police Chiefs Association created this program as a way to improve law enforcement operations in Texas. It was purposefully made challenging so that agencies would really have to demonstrate their commitment to these practices. He says the program is just one of the many things that the association does to promote and protect law enforcement in Texas.
“We are the voice of professional policing in the state of Texas. We do a lot as it relates to legislation both advocating for and trying to prevent bad legislation. We also offer training but then we have a foundation that oversees primarily three things, one of which is the recognition program. It’s to be recognized. It’s the Texas Law Enforcement Best Practices Program,” said Standbridge.
Standbridge reminded the council about how just meaningful this recognition is for the city and for the Seguin Police Department. It means that you can count on the people and the practices put in place at the Seguin PD.
“There is a reason everybody in this room goes to a certified public accountant with their taxes. You are looking for that certification. You wouldn’t take your taxes to me. I’ll take your money but you wouldn’t take your taxes to me because I wouldn’t have a clue of what I am doing. The same thing exist within law enforcement. We are looking for agencies that would promulgate – a fancy word for have existing policies that reflect best practices for Texas agencies,” said Standbridge.
Chief Nichols gave a great deal of credit to Lt. Mike McCann, who helped to spearhead the effort to seek the re-recognition. Nichols says the team at the police department deserves all the credit for this award, and he’s proud to serve with each of them. Again, this marks the third time that the Seguin Police Department has successfully completed the program.