Police Department To Receive NYS DCJS Accreditation

October 13, 2023 (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) — Following three days of in-person visits between September 26th and September 28th, as well as a rigorous 18-month process that included an exhaustive internal and external examination of policies and procedures, the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department (VMPD) is being recommended to receive accreditation this December by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (NYS DCJS), VMPD Chief Sandra DiRuzza recently announced.

"Accreditation provides formal recognition that the department meets and/or exceeds the expectations of quality, demonstrates that we perform in a professional manner, has formalized policies in place to govern our operational practices and procedures, and our employees contribute to the department’s mission and know what is expected of them," said Chief DiRuzza. "This is an important achievement to maintain trust and transparency with the community."

Chief (Ret) Russell A. O'Dell, team leader of the NYS DCJS Assessment Team, remarked, "Accreditation is difficult to achieve. That's why only a little more than 30% of the police agencies in New York State are accredited. Not only does an agency have to meet or exceed 111 exacting standards for their initial accreditation, but they must also prove to a team of assessors, over a period of three days, that they are following those 111 standards with their policies and procedures every five years thereafter. It's a ton of work.

The Village of Mamaroneck Police Department spent nearly 18 months preparing itself for accreditation and in doing so changed the face of the department. It's a steep learning curve but they nailed it. The assessment team for this accreditation review, without reservation, will recommend to the Law Enforcement Accreditation Council at NYS DCJS that the Village of Mamaroneck PD be accredited in December. 

In the words of Jonas Salk, 'the reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.' In five years, the department will have to do it all over again. The Village government and the residents of Mamaroneck have a fine police department looking out for their needs and they should be proud."

Among other local Westchester County Police Departments that are accredited by NYS DCJS, VMPD now joins the ranks of the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, Town of Harrison, City of New Rochelle, City of Rye, and the Village of Scarsdale, to name a few.

"I want to thank Chief DiRuzza and all the members of the Village’s Police Department who participated in this lengthy process," said Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy. "One of the major goals set forth in the Final 2021 Plan of the Village’s Police Reform and Reinvention Committee (PRRC) was to achieve accreditation status. Attempts to earn that status has been on and off for at least the last twenty years."

The NYS DCJS Accreditation Council will meet in December to officially accredit the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department as a New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services accredited police agency. 

About New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service’s Accreditation Program

The Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service (NYS DCJS) is voluntary and designed to improve an agency’s effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism; promote training and foster public confidence in law enforcement. Police departments and sheriffs’ offices in New York State are eligible to participate in the program.

Agencies must meet a set of standards in three categories: Administration, Training and Operations.

Agencies are accredited / reaccredited every five years. Staff from the DCJS Office of Public Safety administer the program and accreditation process, assisted by program assessors who evaluate agencies’ compliance with program standards.

New York was the first state in the country to sponsor a law enforcement accreditation program. Operational since 1989, the program has evolved to address legal, policing and social issues, with program standards revised, added or removed to remain responsive to the needs of New York’s law enforcement community. To learn more about the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service’s Accreditation Program, visit www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/ops/accred. 

Village of Mamaroneck Police Department Mission Statement

The Village of Mamaroneck Police Department (VMPD) strives to promote an enhanced quality of life for all who live and work in the Village. With dedication to professionalism and integrity in duties, the VMPD pledges to maintain a safe and friendly community.

In Partnership with the Community, the VMPD pledges to:

• Protect the lives and property of our fellow residents and impartially enforce the law.
• Fight crime through prevention and by aggressively pursuing violators of the law.
• Maintain a higher standard of integrity than is generally expected of others because so much is expected of us.
• Value human life, respect the dignity of each individual and render our services in a professional, courteous and civil manner.

To learn more about the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department, visit www.vompd.com.