Town Services

The Mission of the Farmington Police Department is to enforce the law and promote a feeling of safety and security for all members of the community. The Farmington Police Department will work in cooperation with the community to preserve and improve the quality of life, making the Town a safer, more pleasant place to live, work and visit.

Core Values

• RESPECT for all persons both in and outside of the organization. We will inspire respect and confidence in the public trust by performing all duties impartially and respecting the dignity of all citizens and fellow employees.
• STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE in all our activities. We value professionalism and a team effort to provide effective public safety services. We will strive for courage and conviction to see the mission through.
• Provide a high level of CUSTOMER SERVICE at all times. We will work cooperatively with other town, state and federal agencies to provide the highest level of service to our residents, businesses and visitors.
• We will seek the highest levels of ETHICAL and MORAL conduct in our on-duty and off-duty activities.

Accreditation

Farmington Police Department
319 New Britain Ave.
Unionville, CT 06085

Commanding Officer:
Paul J. Melanson, Chief of Police

Accreditation Contact:
Linda Carlin, Accreditation Manager
Phone (860) 675-2426

Dates associated with Accreditation:
Initial Accreditation 8/1/1992
Reaccreditation 8/1/1997
Reaccreditation 8/1/2000
Reaccreditation 8/1/2003
Reaccreditation 8/1/2006
Reaccreditation 8/1/2009

National Accreditation

National Accreditation was originally formed in 1979 by CALEA (Commission of Law Enforcement Agencies) to establish professional law enforcement standards. It is a voluntary program, which is overseen by CALEA and the four agencies that originally formed CALEA. Those agencies that originally formed CALEA are: NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives); PERF (Police Executive Research Forum); NSA (National Sheriff’s Association) and the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police). In addition, these organizations appoint members to the Commission. This Commission consists of 11 law enforcement professionals and 10 representatives of the public and private sectors. If you are interested in more information about CALEA please visit their website at www.calea.org.

The Farmington Police Department Accreditation History

The Farmington Police Department was originally accredited in 1992. Since that time the department has successfully attained Reaccreditations in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009. The department is due to be reassessed again in the Spring of 2012.

The department in 2009 was awarded a Flagship Agency Designation, a designation given to those agencies that have demonstrated success in the Accreditation process and have the best practices on how to address compliance, policy development and file maintenance. The department also received a Meritorious Service Award for being accredited for over fifteen years in addition to being granted Reaccredited status.

The department is reassessed in all aspects of administration and operations as part of the Accreditation On Site. A three member team consisting of a Team Leader and two other Assessors from CALEA conduct the review.

The Team Leader submits a final report to the Commission based on the findings in their assessment of the department. The Accreditation Manager and the CEO of the agency appear before the Commission to answer any questions the Commissioners may have on the report prepared by the team that assessed the department. After this meeting is concluded, the Commission makes a decision whether or not to award Accreditation to the agency.

Accreditation Process

The accreditation process consists of maintaining compliance with professionally recognized law enforcement standards. The Accreditation Manager who oversees, directs and manages the 459 standards on a day to day basis conducts this process.

Accredited Agencies in Connecticut

There are presently seventeen recognized Accredited police departments in the State of Connecticut and they are: Avon; Berlin; Connecticut State Police; Coventry; Enfield; Farmington; Glastonbury; Guilford; Judicial Marshall’s;  Manchester; New Canaan; Norwalk; Connecticut Police Academy; Simsbury; State Capital Police; University of Connecticut Police and Wethersfield. These agencies form a group called the PAC (Police Accreditation Coalition) and meet on a monthly basis to discuss issues and standards related to Accreditation. Any agency that is interested in pursuing the Accreditation process is invited to come.

Benefits of Accreditation

There are several benefits of accreditation, which are outlined below:

• Controlling liability insurance costs
• Preparing stronger defenses against lawsuits and citizen complaints
• Providing an increase in community advocacy
• Increasing town government awareness as to how the police department is being managed
• Symbolizes professionalism, excellence and competence within an agency

Another benefit of accreditation was mentioned recently in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin as "ensuring that a department develops guidelines to cover every aspect of its operations".

Accreditation ensures policies and procedures are in place to guide employees and protect citizens. It also ensures a complete audit of the department every three years.