After two years of working toward the goal, the Newton Police Department (NPD) received full accreditation by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) on October 30. NPD Acting Chief George McMains accepted the award at a ceremony that day.
In celebrating this achievement, the department acknowledged the efforts of its accreditation managers — Captain Devine, Officer Mace, and Officer Hill — saying, “Without their steadfast guidance and hard work, we would not have been able to complete this expedited process.”
Acting Chief McMains later explained to Fig City News, “The Newton Police Department has been accredited since the late 1980s through CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies). Over the past couple of years the Newton Police Department has transitioned to MPAC (Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission). Although the two organizations have similar standards, MPAC allows our police department to be more in line with Massachusetts police departments while maintaining very high standards, professionalism and accountability.”