The Penobscot Times
OTPD 2019
MLEAP assessors stand in front of the Old Town Police Department with the station's deputy Chief Lee Miller and Public Safety Director Scott Wilcox (far right). Pictured from left to right: Lt. Anthony Harrington of the Auburn Police Department, Sgt. Christopher Wharff of Bar Harbor Police Department, Chief Jared Mills of the Augusta Police Department and MLEAP Program Director Liz Allen (middle). (Courtesy of Courtesy of Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.)
MLEAP assessors stand in front of the Old Town Police Department with the station's deputy Chief Lee Miller and Public Safety Director Scott Wilcox (far right). Pictured from left to right: Lt. Anthony Harrington of the Auburn Police Department, Sgt. Christopher Wharff of Bar Harbor Police Department, Chief Jared Mills of the Augusta Police Department and MLEAP Program Director Liz Allen (middle). (Courtesy of Courtesy of Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.)

Old Town Police receives state accreditation

Nina Mahaleris • December 17, 2019

OLD TOWN, Maine — The Old Town Police Department has become the first law enforcement agency in Maine to receive a state accreditation status, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association announced last week. 

The Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program lays out standards for best practices for law enforcement agencies around the state. This year, it unanimously voted to award Old Town with the designation after MLEAP assessors evaluated the department’s qualifications. 

“The Old Town PD stands out as a model of excellence in law enforcement,” Program Director Liz Allen said in a Dec. 12 press release. “This agency has earned the highest recognition of law enforcement professional excellence in Maine, and they are the very first to do so. That is really something to be proud of; they should be commended by their community, their peers and all of Maine.” 

To achieve the designation, law enforcement agencies must meet or exceed the 162 standards for best practices laid out by MLEAP. “While being accredited does not guarantee an agency will not make a mistake, it does ensure that the agency has carefully thought about these critical issues, has developed [policies] and procedures to address them and has systems in place to identify and correct problems,” the accreditation report states. 

According to Old Town Public Safety Director Scott Wilcox, the department decided to apply for the designation last year to ensure they’re maintaining the best protocols and have procedures in place to prevent security breaches like in 2015 when a former officer stole cash from the department’s evidence room. 

“This is an agency of distinction,” said Wilcox. “Credit for this accomplishment goes to the men and women of the department. They deliver exceptional services to our residents, businesses and visitors. I am proud to oversee a police department that is in-line with the best practices of law enforcement in the country.” 

The Maine Chiefs of Police Association will present the department with an accreditation certificate during a ceremony in February in South Portland. MLEAP will re-evaluate the department in August 2022, the release stated. 

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