Franklin City committee approves federally funded two‑year accreditation coordinator position for police

Captain Hailey Ireland briefed the Franklin City Administrative Committee on Oct. 20 about a two‑year federal grant awarded to the police department to support an accreditation effort.

Ireland said the grant covers wages for a full‑time accreditation coordinator for two years and that the accreditation process the department will pursue is through the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, which Ireland referred to as "Wiley Ag." Ireland said the accreditation program includes 262 standards and requires both an initial two‑year effort and renewal every three years.

"This is subject to council approval tomorrow night," Ireland said, adding that the grant is "fully funded, no matching funds required." Ireland described the coordinator job as "not a sworn position," and said the role would function as a central compiler or "team quarterback" to assemble required materials across the department rather than to generate policy. She said that after the two‑year grant period the city might consider combining the accreditation coordinator role with open‑records responsibilities because the workload declines after initial accreditation but continues at a lower level.

Committee members asked whether the grant was at risk from reductions in federal funding; Ireland said the award is secure at present but acknowledged there are "no guarantees in life." Members also asked whether the coordinator would need to be a sworn officer; Ireland said it would not. The presentation noted the position would touch all parts of the police department, including finance, operations and community engagement activities required by the accreditation standards.

A motion to create the accreditation coordinator position, funded by the federal grant, was made and seconded and passed by voice vote. The motion included authorization for the city to hire a full‑time employee under the grant for two years and to return to the committee later if the job were to be reclassified or combined with open‑records functions. Ireland thanked committee members for their support and noted the department had applied for the grant and completed much of the groundwork to prepare for accreditation.