At its meeting on January 25, 2007, the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) awarded the James City County Police Department re-accredited status for its success in complying with the 180 mandated standards. The Police Department remains on a list of only 63 of over 400 law-enforcement agencies that have achieved accredited status.
The Department's Re-Accreditation Team was comprised of Lt. Jeff Hicklin (Accreditation Manager), David Daigneault (Former Chief of Police) and Master Officer John LeClaire (Training Officer). Assistance was provided to the team by many Department members, to include Deputy Chief Stan Stout (Investigations Division), Major Steve Rubino (Uniform Division) and Major Brad Rinehimer (Community and Administrative Services Division).
The award culminates the efforts that started 4 years ago immediately after the Department received its initial accreditation. The accreditation process requires police agencies to prove compliance in a multitude of areas that touch on all aspects of police work, including everything from personnel, training, equipment, criminal and traffic arrests, to record-keeping and budgeting. The re-accredited status came after a 3-day on-site assessment in which 3 assessors, selected by the Commission, reviewed the Department and its files. The assessors were SAC Michael McKee (Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control), Lt. Wayne Garrett (Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office) and Ms. Jimmie Minton (Smithfield Police Department).
In the final report to the Commission on January 25, it stated that the Department was “found to be in compliance with all applicable program requirements” and that “…Department policy and procedures were found to be sound and did not require any changes/revisions to such.”
The re-accreditation certificate was presented to Chief Emmett Harmon at the February 27 Board of Supervisors meeting by VLEPSC Chairman Sheriff Charles Jett of Stafford County, VLEPSC Board Member Sheriff F. W Howard of New Kent County and VLEPSC Program Manager Gary Dillon of the Department of Criminal Justice Services.