North Wales police Officers Colin Johnson, Terry Hammerstone, Juliana Greco and Chief Dave Erenius pose after Greco formally received her oath on Tuesday night, Feb. 14 2023. (Credit: NWPD)
High honor for department could be finalized in October
The North Wales Police Department is preparing to be part of a distinguished group alongside several neighbors.
Police Chief Dave Erenius reported in late September that his department is closing in on securing formal accreditation status.
“The assessors were here yesterday and today. They left today, and I said ‘Can I go into my council meeting tonight and tell them that we are accredited?’ And they said yes,” he said.
Since joining the department in early 2022, Erenius has steadily worked on revamping the department’s police and procedures, revising the ways the department interacts with local schools and kids, adding new officers and modernizing their training, practices and standards. Accreditation status is awarded by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, which sets out hundreds of standards and policies that local departments must prove they meet and provides access to enhanced training and accountability, while reducing liabilities.
Lansdale’s police department secured that status in early 2022, joining other nearby departments including Montgomery Township which first earned accreditation in 2004, Upper Gwynedd which has held that status since 2006, Towamencin since 2012, and Hatfield which earned accreditation in 2015.
Bob Zimmerman of Soul Brothers Meats, North Wales Mayor Neil McDevitt, and police Chief Dave Erenius pose with a ‘ticket’ for a free snack stick at Soul Brothers for residents spotted by police wearing helmets in town, at the borough council meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.Joining those departments is not 100 percent finalized yet, Erenius told the board: the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission must ratify that status internally, which is likely to happen in late October, and a public presentation to the town could follow soon after.
“Then we’ll invite them to come here, and do a presentation at a council meeting,” he said.
The news was met with a round of applause and congratulations from council, and the chief said he’d give that group updates in future meetings. Borough Manager Christine Hart added that she and the chief had recently started internal talks about the department’s budget for 2026, and the chief added thanks to council and staff for their support.
North Wale borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14 and 28, both at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street. For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.
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