Yorkville Police Department achieves first state accreditation in its history

The Yorkville Police Department celebrated a special milestone, achieving state accreditation for the first time in the department’s history.

Following a little under two years of effort, the department achieved accreditation through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The department will remain accredited for the next four years before having to undergo the process again.

”The command staff is extremely proud to recognize the men and women of the Yorkville Police Department for achieving Illinois law enforcement accreditation, which is a significant milestone that reflects their hard work, dedication and commitment to the highest standards of professional policing,” Police Chief James Jensen said during the July 22 city council meeting.

Jensen said the department pursued accreditation to improve the department through meaningful constructive feedback.

“This accreditation underscores our department’s focus on transparency, accountability and excellence in serving the Yorkville community,” Jensen said. “We’re proud of who we are and we value the community we serve. That pride drives us to never stop growing, learning and improving.”

There are 62 accredited agencies in Illinois. The program was started 10 years ago to improve police effectiveness, identification of problem areas, and the development of documentation of performance.

The program also aids lower insurance premiums, decreased liability, and ensuring a state of the art operation, according to Mark Maton of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, who presented the accreditation award to the department.

Jensen thanked Deputy Chief Ray Mikolasek for leading the effort as the department’s accreditation manager.

“(Mikolasek’s) knowledge of policy and procedure, along with his tireless work ethic, enabled us to achieve this goal in under two years,” Jensen said. “Most agencies take anywhere between two and three years to get this done.”

To achieve accreditation, program officials interviewed Yorkville Police Department staff, conducted ride-alongs with officers, and evaluated their administrative capabilities, among other oversight assessments.