Somerset County Sheriff’s Office was officially awarded Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program accreditation May 3. From left are Maine Chief’s of Police Association Executive Director Chief Edward Tolan, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster, Kristen Washburn, Somerset County Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell, Somerset County Commissioner Chair Robert Sezak, Lt. Mike Knight, and Dirigo Safety LLC Law Enforcement Services Manager Shawn O’Leary. Submitted photo

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in Madison was officially awarded Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program accreditation May 3.

The MLEAP is a voluntary process where police agencies in Maine prove its compliance with Maine law enforcement’s current best practices or standards. The Maine Chief’s of Police Association developed the accreditation program to assist Maine police agencies in meeting their professional obligations to the citizens of Maine, according to a news release from Somerset County Sheriff Dale P. Lancaster.

Being accredited means the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office meets or exceeds all the identified standards for Maine law enforcement agencies.

Obtaining MLEAP accreditation ensures the Sheriff’s Office has addressed the most critical of law enforcement issues in both policy as well as actual operation.

The Sheriff’s Office is the 19th MLEAP accredited police agency and the second MLEAP accredited Sheriff’s Office in Maine.

“As Sheriff, I am extremely proud of this accreditation, it demonstrates that the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office is policing by best law enforcement practices in the State of Maine. I also want to thank Chief Deputy Michael Mitchell and the Sheriff’s Office Accreditation Manager Kristen Washburn for their hard work assisting the Sheriff’s Office in reaching this milestone,” said Lancaster.