Boothbay Harbor Police Department (BHPD) recently got a stamp of approval from the Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (MLEAP) for the second time, following its first three-year review since joining the program in 2023.

BHPD passed with flying colors, meeting or exceeding all 164 identified standards for Maine law enforcement. According to MLEAP, these standards were developed by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association to protect citizens' rights, improve the safety of public employees, and ensure the operation and professional integrity of law enforcement entities.  

BHPD Chief Doug Snyder explained that it also helps create a common standard to compare different police agencies. As of December 2025, BHPD is one of the 39 agencies to have undergone accreditation out of about 140 police departments statewide.  

“We were one of the first smaller ones to do it,” said Snyder.  

The initial process was kickstarted by former chief Bob Hasch, and Snyder recalled that one big change to prepare for accreditation was overhauling the system for standard operating procedures. BHPD now has a database that will update policy documents, such as when a law changes, and track that each officer has viewed and signed them.  

Another major undertaking was dealing with the backlogged evidence locker. This involved making sure BHPD was up to date with disposing of or returning items from closed cases, and keeping track of items BHPD must keep for extended periods, or indefinitely, such as sexual assault kits. 

Once the standards were in place, Snyder said upkeep has been smooth sailing with no issues presented by the past staff shortages or recent hires. Much of this he credits to Administrative Assistant Diane Joyal, who begins each year by reviewing that everything from the previous year is in order.

 “I appreciate everyone's hard work for continuing to keep it going and making it easy, especially Diane.”