Warren Police Department maintains accreditation

WARREN — The Warren Police Department was reaccredited by the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission in September and continues to be the largest police department in the state to receive the designation from that organization.

Warren Police Department Capt. Paul Houtos and his team representing all divisions of the department led the reaccreditation process.

“The re-accreditation process is just as involved as achieving accreditation for the first time,” a Warren Police Department press release stated.

According to the release, the Warren Police reaccreditation team performed a review of all department operations and procedures to determine where improvements were needed. Policies and procedures were updated to meet current accreditation best practice standards established by the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

Residents weighed in on the process by expressing their views about the Warren Police Department in the community feedback portion of the evaluation.

“The resident feedback forum allowed the MLEAC assessors to hear the overwhelmingly positive view Warren residents have of their Police Department,” the release stated.

In addition, the assessors conducted a two-day on-site evaluation at the department to ensure all their standards had been met. A final report was then submitted by Houtos, and the Warren Police Department was presented with reaccreditation status at the accreditation conference.

“We are very proud of ongoing development with the Police Department accreditation. It is a commitment to continual improvement, and I believe this is their second renewal. So this is the third time they have been going through this process,” Warren Mayor Lori Stone said.

The Warren Police Department first received accreditation under the leadership of former Warren Police Commission William Dwyer, who has said accreditation bolsters public trust in the Police Department, helps defend against lawsuits and illustrates the excellence and professionalism of the men and women in blue at the Warren Police Department.

Acting Commissioner Charles Rushton said in a release, “I want to credit the efforts of Capt. Paul Houtos who oversaw the re-accreditation process from the beginning. Earning status as a re-accredited agency demonstrates the standards the men and women of this Department hold themselves to on a daily basis. We strive to provide the best service possible to Warren residents in every aspect of the Department.”