During the Village Board meeting on Monday, July 19, Pleasant Prairie Police Department (PPPD) received the highest commendations from Stan Stojkovic of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG) for achieving WILEAG reaccreditation status.
The WILEAG Governing Board met virtually on Wednesday, May 5, to discuss the April 2021 on-site assessment of PPPD, review the assessment report, and listen to a verbal presentation from the assessment team leader. As a result, the WILEAG Governing Board unanimously voted to reaccredit the PPPD for three years, effective May 3, 2021. The WILEAG accreditation process is a voluntary commitment to law enforcement excellence; the program assists agencies in serving their communities better. Pleasant Prairie Police initially became accredited through WILEAG on December 11, 2017. The reaccreditation process ensures PPPD maintains compliance with a body of essential measures to protect life, health, safety, and citizens' rights.
"Being accredited by WILEAG is considered the gold standard of professional excellence in Wisconsin law enforcement," said Police Chief David Smetana. "Holding a WILEAG accreditation status demonstrates to the community that the Police Department makes certain the agency is following the best policing practices."
The PPPD underwent the reaccreditation assessment between April 13 and April 15, 2021. The process ensures the agency maintains WILEAG principles and objectives for best professional practices. A trained assessment team was on-site to conduct a thorough review of the department to ensure compliance with the fifth edition of WILEAG standards. WILEAG assessors reviewed written material, interview individuals, visited offices, and evaluated other areas to observe compliance and conduct a report. As part of the assessment, the WILEAG team working on the PPPD assessment took public comments by phone.
Once the WILEAG assessors completed the agency's in-person review, they shared their report and findings with the WILEAG Governing Board. The Board acted on PPPD's application request and granted the reaccreditation. Katie Wrightsman, WILEAG Executive Director, congratulated Police Chief Smetana on the outstanding achievement.