Wilmington Police earn 6th re-accreditation from state commission

The Wilmington Police Department has earned re-accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, the Town of Wilmington announced.

The department received the distinction during MPAC's meeting on Friday, Oct. 23. Wilmington Police were first accredited in 2011, and this is the sixth time the department has received re-accreditation.

Accreditation is a self-initiated, lengthy and comprehensive evaluation process. This year's effort was overseen by Accreditation Manager Lt. Matthew Stavro, with assistance from previous accreditation manager Lt. Dan Murray and Detective/School Resource Officer Emily McMeekin.

Participating departments complete an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts. The voluntary process is meant to help police departments meet and maintain top law enforcement standards and compare themselves against established best practices nationally and regionally.

Accreditation is valid for three years and requires agencies to undergo reassessment to maintain their status. The re-accreditation followed an on-site assessment by a team of MPAC assessors who reviewed more than 365 standards.

The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program includes 259 mandatory standards and 120 optional standards. To achieve accreditation, a department must meet all applicable mandatory standards and at least 60% of the optional standards. Wilmington Police met 74 optional standards.

The standards cover areas including jurisdiction and mutual aid, collection and preservation of evidence, communications, working conditions, crime analysis, community involvement, financial management, internal affairs, juvenile operations, patrol administration, public information, records, training, traffic, drug enforcement and victim/witness assistance.

"Accreditation is the gold standard in accountability and best practices, and I am proud of this department's history of remaining fully accredited and exceeding the optional standards," Chief Brian Pupa said. "I am also grateful to Lt. Matthew Stavro and the others who helped guide us through this process."

MPAC-accredited agencies must maintain continuous compliance with established standards and adapt to evolving laws, policies and best practices.

Source: Town of Wilmington announcement, October 26, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.