Fredericksburg Police Department honored with Texas reaccreditation

The Fredericksburg Police Department was presented a reaccreditation certificate Tuesday morning by Steve Pettis, chief of police for the Boerne Police Department, who said he was representing the Texas Police Chiefs Association and the Texas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

Pettis described the voluntary program as a framework of professional standards, noting agencies must demonstrate compliance with 173 standards and undergo periodic on-site assessments. “It means our police department is not only meeting, but exceeding the current best practices in Texas law enforcement,” Pettis said as he presented the certificate.

City staff said Fredericksburg first achieved accreditation in 2013 and has maintained compliance through annual reports and staff interviews with outside assessors. Pettis told the council the program has become a gold standard in the state; of roughly 2,800 law enforcement agencies in Texas, he said about 224 have received this accreditation. The Texas Police Chiefs Association’s accreditation committee reviewed the assessment findings and voted unanimously to reaccredit the department.

Lieutenant Braxton Raymer, the department’s accreditation program director since its initial effort, was recognized for maintaining policies and procedures and for leading the ongoing compliance effort. City officials and council members praised the department’s work and thanked assessors and officers who helped compile documentation and host the assessment.

The reaccreditation is symbolic of a larger process: the department will continue submitting annual compliance reports and will host a comprehensive on-site evaluation in four years to maintain the status.

The council acknowledged the presentation and moved on to regular business.