The Hamburg Police Department has earned state accreditation after a five‑year effort to overhaul policies, tighten accountability measures and modernize how the small agency operates — a distinction held by only two other police departments in Berks County.
The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association formally presented the accreditation certificate to borough officials on July 28 during a recognition ceremony in the borough municipal building. Hamburg, with eight full‑time and three part‑time officers, is now the only small municipal department in Berks to achieve the designation. The other accredited municipal agencies — Spring Township and Exeter Township — each employ dozens of officers.
COURTESY OF HAMBURG POLICE
State Rep. Jamie Barton presents a certificate of achievement to Hamburg Police Chief Anthony Kuklinski during a recognition ceremony at the borough municipal building on July 28. (COURTESY OF HAMBURG POLICE)
Chief Anthony Kuklinski said the milestone capped a slow, deliberate process that reshaped not only the department’s procedures but its culture.
“It wasn’t just changing policies and procedures,” Kuklinski said. “It was changing the mindset of officers — making themselves and the agency more accountable. We had to rethink how we do things and bring new and fresh ideas into the organization.”
The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program requires agencies to meet 154 standards covering everything from use‑of‑force protocols to evidence handling, internal affairs, record‑keeping and pursuit policies. Departments must prove compliance annually.
Some agencies take a decade or more to complete the process, Kuklinski said. Hamburg finished in five years.
Each year, the department must demonstrate — with documentation — that its practices match the standards.
The accreditation also prompted upgrades to facilities and several record‑keeping measures.
COURTESY OF HAMBURG POLICE
Cpl. Ryan Brobst, Officer Tito Loor, Chief Anthony Kuklinski, Administrative Officer Dana McGarvey and State Rep. Jamie Barton gather as the department is recognized for earning state accreditation. (COURTESY OF HAMBURG POLICE)
Kuklinski said the department strengthened several core policies during the accreditation process, including use‑of‑force guidelines, Taser deployment rules, shooting‑range procedures and pursuit standards.
“Use‑of‑force policies are pretty standard across the state,” he said. “We put in a more restrictive training module that officers have to go through. The same goes for our pursuit policy — ours is more restrictive, centered on public safety and the safety of the officer.”
Other enhancements included requirements for follow‑up investigation, internal affairs procedures, evidence chain‑of‑custody protocols and improved record‑keeping.
The department is updating its license‑plate reader policy. Hamburg’s license‑plate reader cameras are mounted on patrol vehicles.
Kuklinski acknowledged that not everyone embraced the changes immediately.
“There was a certain buy‑in apprehension at first,” he said. “It’s normal. They had to accept that this is the norm for our agency. This is how it needs to be done.”
He said the process also forced him to confront areas where improvement was needed, even when he believed the department was already performing well.
Kuklinski believes residents expect their police department to operate with clear guidelines and accountability.
“We’re using a standard model that has been vetted and tried, and we’ve limited our exposure to scrutiny,” he said. “It gives us a good foundation but also gives us a path forward to continuous improvement.”
Since the accreditation program began in 2001, more than 375 agencies have enrolled, but only 209 maintain accredited status statewide.
Meaningful benefits to the department and community include reduced liability exposure, modernize management practices, strengthened community trust and increased officer confidence, officials said.
“Earning state accreditation reflects our department’s unwavering commitment to accountability, transparency and professional excellence,” Kuklinski said. “This is the result of hard work from our officers and staff to ensure Hamburg receives the highest quality public safety services possible.”