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HPD meets updated policing standards with MPAC accreditation

The Hopkinton Police Department was recognized at a reception in Foxborough in February for achieving its MPAC accreditation. PHOTO/HOPKINTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Hopkinton Police Department received recognition for its new accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) earlier this month, completing a process that started over a year ago.

The HPD began the voluntary process back in July 2024. It involved meeting or surpassing 274 mandatory standards and 95 optional standards as laid out by MPAC. According to a Facebook post, the HPD’s accreditation was effective as of Jan. 8. The department was recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by MPAC on Feb. 17.

“We needed a lot of work to get to those standards,” said Police Chief Joseph Bennett. He said that the HPD had to work “from the ground up” on some of its old policies and procedures.

“The new written directives, we feel, are more clear,” he added. “[They] are the bedrock of everything we do.”

Deputy Chief Scott van Raalten explained that the updated policies touch on everything from securing evidence and station access points to maintenance records for the station’s generator. He also noted the updates reflect changes in police reform and guidance from the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, which sets the MPAC standards.

Bennett said that the department previously received an MPAC accreditation in 2020, prior to his tenure as chief. To remain compliant, police departments must re-apply for accreditation every three years. He noted that in the past the process was handled by one person, but the department involved staff at all levels this time around.

Lt. Matthew McNeil, who assisted with coordinating with the police union, said that the process involved going through all the HPD’s procedures, updating the necessary documentation, and obtaining proofs to submit to MPAC. Those proofs included firearms qualifications and documented sign-offs by department members on updated policies.

The process was aided by a new software system that McNeil said took time to build but made things easier. All of the new documentation lives in the software, and it is accompanied by an app that officers can access at any time in the field to look up a policy or form.

Bennett said the MPAC accreditation and the updates the HPD made provide a baseline the department can build from. He also expressed hope that the changes made improve community trust through transparency and help the department provide consistent delivery of services in the community.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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Photo of the Day

A plow sits in snow under the solar panels in the side parking lot of Hopkinton Middle School.

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR