East Wenatchee Police Earn WASPC Accreditation After Major Reforms

East Wenatchee Police Department achieved a major milestone.

Chief Rick Johnson said his department became an accredited agency last week at the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC) Fall Conference in Kennewick.

READ MORE: Wenatchee Man Gets 30 Months For Passport Fraud

What the Accreditation Process Required

"It's something that has been a work in progress since I took over in June of 2020," Chief Johnson said. "We were convinced that we were doing things in best practice after making a lot of changes, but when you have a third party coming in like WASPC, it provides affirmation that you are doing things best practice as an agency."

Get our free mobile app

In April 2019, the East Wenatchee Police Department underwent a review of the Loaned Executive Management Assistance Program, which identified 103 recommendations for practices and policies that needed attention.

How East Wenatchee Police Reached 100% Compliance

The WASPC evaluation showed the department is now 100% compliant with zero recommendations for all 146 standards. Johnson said one change consisted of every officer using body cameras, but he said the bigger change came when the department relocated from the city hall.

"We do feel like we can put that previous study from 2019 behind us," Chief Johnson said. "It's a milestone for us."

Major Changes Implemented by the Department

Other areas of improvement included modifying evidence processing and storage, establishing an internal training program, and changes in working conditions.

Johnson said becoming accredited with WASPC was a major goal of his and East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford. Johnson adds becoming accredited allows the police department to seek grant money that was previously unavailable.

What Comes Next for EWPD

Of 228 police departments and 39 sheriff's offices in Washington State, only 81 are accredited with WASPC. East Wenatchee Police Department will seek re-accreditation in 2029.