The Town of Hopedale announced today that the Hopedale Police Department received a $114,000 grant award from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), housed in the US Department of Justice. 

The award will be used by the Hopedale Police Department to continue the Department’s pursuit of accreditation through the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC). 

Law enforcement accreditation is a self-initiated process that allows for the adoption and implementation of high standards, policies, and procedures, and has the benefit of providing the framework to ensure that participating departments continue the high level of service that they provide to their respective communities. MPAC’s accreditation process has the following areas of focus: agency authority, jurisdiction and use of force; selection and promotion of personnel, training, discipline, and internal affairs; patrol, traffic operation criminal investigations, victim/witness assistance, detainee transportation, holding facilities, and emergency response planning; records and communications; collection and preservation of evidence, property and evidence control. 

The funding will be used to address physical structural deficiencies within the Hopedale Police Department, to purchase new state-of-the-art policing hardware and software, make improvements to various spaces, and convert all department documentation to digital formats. 

The Hopedale Police Department is on pace to be accredited before any of the town’s neighboring community departments, except for the Upton Police Department which received full accreditation in 2012.

Hopedale Police Chief Mark Giovanella said of the award that “the accreditation process will lead to codifying standards. The process itself will be an affirmation as to the quality of policing we provide for the constituents of Hopedale. Further, this process guarantees that long-term, the Department will continuously meet these standards as personnel are onboarded, retire, and/or cycle out – ensuring that the Town will receive seamless, community-focused, excellent police services well into the future.” 

Selectboard Chair Glenda Hazard added that “the Town is grateful that the Hopedale Police Department works every day to be the best force possible, and proactively seeks out these grant opportunities to ensure that despite fiscal constraints and our size, the community will continue to have one of the best and most forward-thinking forces in the region.” 

Lastly, Town Administrator Mitch Ruscitti added, “I’m grateful every day to work with our public safety departments, who are always looking for ways to do more with less given the town’s budgetary constraints. Grants like these can really make a difference in a community our size, and it’s a credit to the Hopedale Police Department for being proactive in pursuing not only the accreditation, but these grant opportunities that help fund these initiatives that make this community wonderful.” 

About The Office Of Community Oriented Policing Services, From the Department of Justice: The COPS Office awarded $456 million to law enforcement agencies and organizations throughout the United States in 2022, and since 1994 has awarded grants and initiative funding to more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies. 

About The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission: The Commission consists of an eleven-member Board of Directors. Six members are appointed to represent the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, one by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and one by the Massachusetts Police Association. The mission of the Commission is to ensure that delivery of police services within the Commonwealth is at the highest level of professionalism and integrity.