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But, it's determined to gain it back.
In a statement posted to its website, the department said that the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) in December 2022 voted not to reaffirm its accreditation status, which it's held since Aug. 24, 2006.
In early 2022, while in a period of transition between accreditation managers, the Leesburg Police Department discovered administrative errors that had been made during previous accreditation terms (one-year time periods), the statement says.
Such errors do not impact the day-to-day operations of the department, nor its ability to continue to deliver professional high-quality police services to the community, the statement says.
The Leesburg Police Department took immediate actions to correct all errors in order to bring the department back into full compliance. It was later determined that these administrative errors led the department to be out of compliance relating to 4 out of 191 accreditation standards during those previous accreditation terms, the department said.
The Leesburg Police Department says it self-reported the administrative errors to VLEPSC.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) administers the voluntary VLEPSC accreditation program. VLEPSC’s program was started in the early 1990's, with the creation of a 12-member commission of representatives from the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.
VLEPSC provides law enforcement agencies in the commonwealth with an avenue for demonstrating that they meet the 191 accepted standards for efficient and effective agency operation.
The Leesburg Police Department was one of 104 VLEPSC accredited Virginia law enforcement agencies out of more than 300 total Virginia law enforcement agencies. To obtain accreditation, a law enforcement agency must meet all applicable program standards, maintain their accreditation files on an on-going basis, and provide annual verifications of compliance as required by the commission.
On-site assessments every four years by specially trained program assessors assure consistency and full compliance of all accredited agencies.
The department will immediately begin the process to have their accreditation reinstated and will be eligible for a re-assessment by VLEPSC 12-months from this initiation.
“It is important for our residents, businesses, and visitors to the Town of Leesburg, Virginia to know that this decision will not change the Leesburg Police Department’s high level of professionalism and our exceptional level of customer service that we continue to provide to our community each and every day,” Interim Chief of Police Vanessa Grigsby said.
“In the continued spirit of community trust through transparency, I feel it important to notify the public of the commission’s decision and I will personally ensure that the Leesburg Police Department remains in full compliance with all VLEPSC accreditation standards going forward.”
A listing of the program criteria is available here.
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