The Mountain Home Police Department was recently awarded a Certificate of Accreditation by the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police. The police department became the 15th law enforcement agency in Arkansas to receive the certificate from the Accreditation Committee of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police. The nearly two-year process to meet accreditation standards started during 2018 and was completed earlier this year. The Arkansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Committee awarded the certificate effective June 25, 2020 after a final compliance review. The certificate was awarded at the City Council meeting on August 6, 2020.

The program is a voluntary process where police agencies prove their compliance with Arkansas law enforcement’s current best practices or standards. Being accredited means that an agency meets or exceeds all the identified standards for Arkansas law enforcement agencies. These standards cover all aspects of law enforcement operations including use of force, protection of citizen rights, pursuits, property and evidence management, and patrol and investigative operations. 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, developed policy and procedures to address them and has systems in place to identify and correct problems.