Contributed photo/Pentwater Police Chief Laude Hartrum, at left, and Pentwater Police Officer Darwin Mitchell.
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
PENTWATER — The Pentwater Police Department recently achieved accreditation status from the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.
“We spent the last four years working on getting accredited,” said Pentwater Police Chief Laude Hartrum. Police departments are required to meet approximately 100 standards to achieve accreditation, and assessors visit the department to ensure policies are being followed. “Our assessors were from Zeeland and Portage,” said Chief Hartrum. “They came up for two days and spent two days with us and went through everything in the office and went through all the policies; did ride alongs; interviewed people in the community; and then they did a report.”
The chief said that officers Amanda Sniegowski and Darwin Mitchell played key roles in the process.
“Last week, we went to the accreditation commission in Grand Rapids, where we had to appear at a hearing and answer questions. They found us to be accredited. Now we’re accredited for the next three years, but every year we have to prove that we follow the standard.”
Pentwater is one of the smallest of the approximate 100 accredited agencies in the State of Michigan, said the chief. The department employs six officers — three full-time and three part-time. The village has a population of approximately 900, which quadruples in the summer with seasonal visitors.
The Ludington Police Department is the only other accredited agency in the area, he said.
“For the Pentwater Police Department, it’s a point of pride,” said Chief Hartrum. “For the Village of Pentwater, it does allow us to get a reduced insurance rate, because we’re an accredited agency. It limits our exposure liability-wise.”
For the village residents, the accreditation builds confidence in the department. “It’s not just a matter of opinion — somebody has come in and inspected the operation and verified that it has met a standard. It gives you more confidence that your department is going to do the right thing when you call.”
The representatives from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police will formally present the Pentwater Police Department with a plaque in May.
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