VBT Police Department earns prestigious MACCP accreditation

The Charter Township of Van Buren Police Department is proud to announce it is among 42 agencies accredited by the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) through its Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, the only local legitimate authority and accreditation agency in the State of Michigan.
Currently there are 583 law enforcement agencies in the State of Michigan and the accreditation places the VBT Police Department in the top tier of law enforcement agencies.
The accreditation was attained after a three-year-long process that was initiated by retiring Public Safety Director Greg Laurain. He, Police Chief Jason Wright, and Accreditation Managers Sergeant Louis Keele and Officer Adam Byrd formed the team’s core.
The Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police unanimously voted “yes” to approve accredited status for the VBT Police and formally recognized the department during a recent conference and ceremony at Amway Plaza in Grand Rapids.
“The citizens of Van Buren Township deserve a police agency that adopted established policies that model current standards of excellence and developed effective procedures within the police department,” said Director Laurain.
“This accreditation places a stamp of approval by the highly respected Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police that our department is a proactive, industry leader in law enforcement.”
The accreditation was engaged under the direction and leadership of Sergeant Louis Keele and assisted by Union President and Police and Communications Recruiter Adam Byrd. Both served as Accreditation Managers and were charged with coordinating the department’s compliance with the 108 standards and 400+ tasks it was required to meet to achieve accreditation status.
“At a time right now where you have law enforcement reform being hotly discussed, we are proud to be in the top 42 agencies within the State of Michigan that proactively took on the challenge and succeeded in getting accredited,” said Sgt. Keele.
“The process and expectations set forth by the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police were tremendously challenging,” said Officer Byrd. “By modifying our policies, it provides us a pathway to further success when it comes to criminal investigations, liability, and the ability to succeed with grants that require our organization to have an accredited status.”
There were several steps involved in earning the prestigious accreditation. Sgt. Keele requested an assessment from the MACP once all the necessary policies were modified to adapt to the MACP mandates. As part of the assessment review, the assessors took a tour of the station, interviewed personnel, and rode with officers to visually ensure that the VBT Police Department’s personnel was in absolute compliance with the standards mandated by MACP Accreditation Protocols.
According to Police Chief Wright, working with the union and securing support from membership was an essential part of the accreditation process being successful.
“It is extremely refreshing to see the positive attitude of police department personnel throughout this three-year accreditation process,” he said.
To maintain accreditation, the VBT Police Department will be reevaluated every three years but are expected to meet the standards annually.
News release