NHPD Gets Tier 1 Status By Police Officers Standards/Training Council

NEW HAVEN, CT — The New Haven Police Department announced Thursday it has been granted Tier 1 status, from the state Police Officers Standards and Training Council. A three-step system, Tier 3 is the highest.

This is a cooperative process designed to assist Connecticut law enforcement agencies reduce exposure to civil liability and provide quality law enforcement service delivery, police said in a new release.

How does it work?

According to police, the framework is a manual of standards which identifies potential liability issues and actions a participating agency should take to address them.

"An agency pursuing accredited status reviews the standard, takes the action required by the standard, such as developing a written policy, assembles documentation of its compliance with a standard, and then invites a group of police professionals trained as assessors to review that documentation," it's explained. "The 'standard-assessment-compliance' structure is a mechanism for focusing an agency’s efforts on key issues and providing a framework for fellow practitioners to provide guidance while preserving maximum flexibility."

"Achieving Tier 1 accreditation is an important step for this agency, and we are pleased that our efforts at meeting the state’s standards have been recognized," New Haven Chief of Police Karl Jacobson said. "Our goal as an organization is to provide the best possible law enforcement service for our citizens, and we do that in part by following standards set by the state. We look forward to working toward Tiers 2 and 3. I would like to especially thank Assistance Chief Manmeet Bhagtana and Lieutenant Jesse Agosto for their hard work in obtaining this accreditation.”