Chelmsford - Plans to update Police Department manuals could pay off if the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission certifies the Chelmsford department this year.

A professional certification from the state agency would lower the department’s liability insurance rate, said Police Chief Jim Murphy.

Murphy hopes to have all the manuals updated by May, he said.
Some of the manuals, which provide rules and procedures to police officers, have not been updated for almost 30 years, said Murphy.

Lt. Dan Ahern has been in charge of the updating process, which has included representatives from police officers of every rank in the department, Murphy said.

After receiving a certification, Ahern hopes to complete the next step of accreditation by September.

Ahern has worked on it for the past year or so, and Murphy and police officers have had periodic meetings for the past six weeks, Murphy said.

Once the department is ready, the commission will send three assessors to spend two days in Chelmsford, reviewing policies and the facility Murphy said.

If everything looks good, the state will certify the department, said Murphy.

“It’s been a goal of mine since I took over,” Murphy said.
Murphy was appointed chief in 2006.
Currently, the town as a whole pays about $550,000 in total liability insurance, and out of that, spends about $249,000 on workers’ compensation for all departments, according to Town Accountant Darlene Lussier.

Accreditation will also help build public trust in the department, Ahern said.

“It says to the community that we are committed to professional law enforcement,” Ahern said.

While the Police Department has periodically updated its policy and procedures and its general and special orders manuals, the rules and regulations manual has not been revised since 1980, Ahern said.

That document was just about finished and agreed on by Tuesday, according to Ahern.

Rules and regulations covers issues about the chain of command, a list of prohibited conduct and other ethical issues.

Murphy said the department will release the new rules and regulations once they have been agreed on.