Accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) is a Virginia-based agency which grants accredited status to law enforcement agencies throughout the world that meet strict criteria established by the Commission. Law Enforcement Accreditation is a voluntary program, in which the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. has established 446 internationally recognized standards that an agency must comply with in order to be accredited.
CALEA was formed in 1979 for establishing a body of standards designed to: 1) increase an agency’s capability to prevent and control crime; 2) increase agency effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of law enforcement services; 3) increase coordination and cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and with other members of the criminal justice system; and 4) increase citizen and employee confidence in the goals, objectives, policies, and practices of the Department. In addition, the Commission was formed to develop an accreditation process that provides law enforcement agencies an opportunity to demonstrate voluntarily that they meet an established set of professional standards.
The voluntary accreditation program for law enforcement agencies is a joint effort of the CALEA, and four major law enforcement executive membership associations:
The accreditation process consists of an on-site assessment of the Department every three years by law enforcement professionals from outside the state. The assessment last for four days and all facets of the Department are inspected from personnel issues, management, and the delivery of law enforcement services to the community. The Greenwood Police Department has been Internationally Accredited since March 1998 and was the first and only accredited law enforcement agency in the Lakelands to become Internationally Accredited.
CALEA information obtained from:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-2201
1-800-368-3757