Of approximately 1,600 law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, only 76 of them are accredited. The Northampton County Sheriff's Department joined those ranks on November 9, when the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police voted unanimously to certify Northampton County as an accredited agency. Aside from Montgomery County, Northampton is the only Sheriff's Department to get a state accreditation.

This recognition follows two years of hard work, meeting 134 standards. The process was started under former Sheriff Jeff Hawbecker, and was finished by Sheriff Randy Miller, who as Police Commissioner in Bethlehem guided his department through the accreditation process there. 

Miller declined to take any credit, choosing instead to point to the hard work put in by his deputies. He also credited Excutive John Stoffa, former Director of Administration John Conklin and County Council, who had to budget the money."I'm kind of like the orchestra leader, waving the baton," Miller stated. 

But Stoffa set the record straight. "They worked hard for two years and really deserve this."