The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police recognized Thomasville Police Department’s professional standards of operation by granting recertification through the GACP State Certification Program. Receiving State Certification signifies that TPD operates efficiently and effectively while maintaining sound policy setting and enforcement.
“We strive to be a progressive law enforcement agency,” said Chief of Police Troy Rich. “This means that we must always look to adapt and evolve the function of our department. Through participation in the State Certification program, we are given an opportunity to self-evaluate how we are doing against recognized standards and best practices.”
The State Certification Program is designed to help law enforcement agencies identify areas of opportunity within a department’s operation. As a part of the certification process, an independent team of trained assessors conducted an onsite evaluation. The focus of the onsite assessment is to assess whether the department is adhering to all policies and best practices.
While achieving recertification is an accolade the entire department can celebrate, Chief Rich gives additional credit for the achievement to Lieutenant Kathy Royal. “I would like to thank Lieutenant Royal for her exceptional management of the recertification process,” Rich said. “The assessors were very complimentary of the quality of her work during their visit and throughout their report.”
Only 116 other law enforcement agencies have achieved State Certification in Georgia. According to the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police website, “Certification status represents a significant professional achievement. Certification acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.”
Mark Bender, GACP director of state certification, said in a letter to Thomasville Police Department, “I congratulate your department on this outstanding professional achievement.”
Chief Rich said that achieving this recertification will help prepare the department for the reaccreditation process for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which is the national accreditation entity.
“The process for CALEA reaccreditation is very thorough and lengthy, but similar to State Certification in many aspects. I feel very confident that our department is prepared to achieve the next round of CALEA recertification, which began earlier this year,” Rich said.