MARION — Police Chief Richard Nighelli is proud to report that the Marion Police Department earned re-accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC). 

On Wednesday, June 26, MPAC unanimously re-accredited the Marion Police Department.

“I am honored our department has once again earned re-accreditation from MPAC,” said Chief Nighelli. “As we celebrate this achievement, I would like to recognize all of our department members for their dedication and commitment to upholding the values of this department. I would also like to thank our community for their ongoing support and partnership.”

The department received State Certification in June 2014, full State Accreditation in June 2015 and re-accreditation in 2018 and 2021. Accreditation must be renewed every three years and, following this year’s renewal, the department will be up for re-accreditation again in 2027. 

Accreditation is a self-initiated, lengthy and comprehensive evaluation process. Participating departments complete an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts. The process is a voluntary evaluation by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the top standards of law enforcement. It is considered the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the established best practices around the country and region.

The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the department was required to meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 55% of the optional standards. 

These carefully selected standards reflect critical areas of police management, operations and technical support activities. They cover areas such as policy development, emergency response planning, training, communications, property and evidence handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit, prisoner transportation and holding facilities.

The Commission offers two program awards: certification and accreditation, with the latter being the higher of the two.

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It took 45 minutes for firefighters to get a 35-year-old man out of a “heavily damaged” car following a car crash on Saturday, officials said. The man’s injuries were extensive, with low blood pressure, shock and internal bleeding.

Quickly, firefighters and paramedics decided to try a new lifesaving method starting at the crash site: whole blood transfusion.

The method had never been done in Massachusetts before, according to the Canton Fire Department. However, in March, the Canton Fire Department and 25 other cities and towns in Massachusetts worked with Boston Medical Center to launch the first pilot program in Massachusetts history for administering whole blood before a patient reaches the hospital, the press release stated.

On Saturday, the fire department put it into action.

The crash happened in Braintree during the early morning hours, officials said. The Braintree Fire Department and Brewster Ambulance paramedics “swiftly” put in a request to the Canton Fire Department for the whole blood transfusion.

Paramedics put the 35-year-old in the ambulance where Canton Fire Field Transfusion Paramedic Michael White and EMT Jonathan Buckley started the transfusion. On his way to Boston Medical Center, the man’s vital signs improved, according to officials. Once at the hospital, he was taken to surgery.

“This groundbreaking program represents a significant advancement in prehospital care and has already proven its worth in it first use,” said Fire Chief Wendell Robery. “The successful administration of whole blood in the field is a testament to our paramedics’ and EMTs’ training, preparedness and dedication. We are grateful for the collaboration with Boston Medical Center and the support of our neighboring communities.”

Transfusions with specific blood components are common in hospital settings and are often used for trauma but whole blood might be becoming more common.

The leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. is massive bleeding caused by a traumatic injury, U.S. News and World Report wrote. Most of the deaths occur within six hours.

In an article by the Boston University School of Medicine, it pointed to a new study that suggested a person who receives whole blood transfusion for severe traumatic bleeding earlier has a greater chance of survival.

“However, if this transfusion is delayed by as little as 14 minutes after arriving at the hospital, the survival benefit is significantly reduced,” the university wrote.

Crisanto Torres, assistant professor of surgery at the school, said in the article that there was a “decrease in survival probability for each minute delay in whole blood transfusion.”

She said she hopes this encourages more hospitals to use whole blood as a standard emergency transfusion product and more consideration for it to be used at the scene of an injury or during transport to the hospital.