CANTON -- Canton's 14-member Village Police Department was recently re-accredited by the state.

Chief James Santimaw received the Department's Certificate of Accreditation at a ceremony at the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services building on Thursday, Dec. 5, said a press release from the department.

The department was visited for three days in early September by three state accreditation assessors who completed a comprehensive review to prove compliance with 110 professional standards related to administration, operations and training.

The Canton Police Department has been accredited since 1993, under the direction of then Chief David Sullivan, and has remained so continuously since that time, the press release said.

Following the September review, the department was awarded accreditation through December 2024. Canton’s department is one of only two in St. Lawrence County that are accredited by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, said the village website.

New York State's Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program ensures that each participating agency operates under comprehensive and legally sound policies that are constructed to meet a variety of standards that reflect industry best practices, said the press release.

Each accredited police agency must develop and implement policies and procedures that will meet all of these standards, the release said.

There are 155 police agencies accredited through the program across all of New York State.