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ACCREDITATION Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence By—Margaret J. Levine
Nineteen seventy-nine was a milestone year for law enforcement. Never before had the profession’s four leading executive organizations—the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)—united in support of a major nationwide initiative. However, in that year, with funding from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, they joined together to provide the research and technical expertise, management and administrative staff, and office accommodations to develop and implement a law enforcement accreditation™ program. The idea for a law enforcement accreditation™ program had actually originated years earlier in the Police Management and Operations Division of IACP. The Division’s Director, Norman Darwick, who later became Executive Director of IACP, and its Assistant Director, Bill Dean, had watched the development and early success of a similar program for corrections. Then, as now, the issues of accountability, integrity, liability, performance, and community partnership dominated the public dialogue and media coverage of law enforcement. Darwick and Dean knew that accreditation—the conformance with standards of professional excellence—had the potential to elevate the law enforcement vocation to professional standing and to affirm the quality of police services. The IACP Board, under the leadership of Colonel Wilson Speir of the Texas Department of Public Safety, agreed. And, they were right. Today, accredited law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and Barbados rank among the best. In November 1996, Good Housekeeping magazine named "America’s Best Suburban Police Forces." All eight—Arlington, Texas; Baltimore County, Maryland; Dublin, Ohio; Garden Grove, California; Lakewood, Colorado; Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Palatine, Illinois; and Redmond, Washington—are accredited. More recently, in May 1998, the Illinois Risk Management Association announced the results of its five-year study of claims against accredited and non-accredited agencies. The study found that non-accredited agencies had a claim rate that was 16.3% higher than that of accredited agencies, and that the severity of claims against non-accredited agencies, measured by payouts and dollars reserved, was 35% greater than the severity of claims against accredited agencies. From the largest accredited agency—Pennsylvania State Police, with 4,168 sworn officers—to the smallest accredited agency—Greenville, New Hampshire, Police Department, with 5 sworn officers—the impact of accreditation is noticeable and measurable. "We’ve seen significant improvements in the scope and clarity of our policies and procedures. Our training programs are more useful; our operations are stronger; and we have an esprit de corps among our sworn and civilian personnel that is unparalleled." said Colonel Paul Evanko, Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. Greenville’s Chief of Police, David Benedict, echoed similar sentiments. "With accreditation, not only have we received the benefit of a nationally accepted body of knowledge, but we’ve also gained the intrinsic value of being one of the best among the best. The pride my employees have in this accomplishment is continually reflected in the work they do. No longer do they have the feeling of being second class citizens just because they are members of a small department."
The Early Years IACP, NOBLE, NSA, and PERF spent four years researching, writing, field testing, and ultimately adopting the 944 standards that became the foundation of the accreditation program. During this time, they also created the accreditation and reaccreditation processes, wrote instructional manuals, developed public hearing guidelines, and established the protocol for on-site assessments. To ensure the program’s independence, they established the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA) as the nonprofit corporation that would administer the accreditation program; appointed CALEA’s Board of Directors, first chaired by Sheriff Richard Willie of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office; and hired its first Executive Director, Inspector James V. Cotter, who had been Director of the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia. Cotter recalls the Commission’s early years as intense, invigorating, and rewarding. "The support for our work from the field was incredible. More than 300 agencies volunteered to review the proposed standards or serve as test sites to pilot accreditation. Everyone was committed to improving the professionalization of law enforcement in a way that would promote quality without taking away agency discretion." By 1983, the accreditation program was ready to accept its first participating agencies. In May 1984, the Mount Dora, Florida, Police Department became the first in the nation to achieve accredited status, followed by the Arlington County, Virginia, Police Department; Elkhart County, Indiana, Sheriffs Office; Baltimore County, Maryland, Police Department; and North Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department in November 1984. A contagious enthusiasm and pride in accreditation spread quickly among the law enforcement community. At their 1984-85 annual meetings, the memberships of IACP, NOBLE, NSA, and the National Association of Counties adopted resolutions supporting law enforcement accreditation™. In 1986, several states, including Georgia and Massachusetts, established Police Accreditation Coalitions (PACs) to promote the benefits of accreditation, provide technical assistance to participating agencies, and be an ongoing voice for law enforcement in the accreditation program. And, in 1987, the Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded a grant to the Commission to enhance its communications and outreach efforts. These were the last Federal funds CALEA received.
Growing Pains By the end of 1990, CALEA had attained an impressive track record. One hundred sixty-six agencies had been accredited; 16 reaccredited; and 407 were working toward accredited status. Attendance at each of CALEA’s thrice yearly meetings had reached more than 600 and the accreditation program had received national press attention in Parade magazine, the New York Times, Washington Post, and San Francisco Chronicle. Notwithstanding these early successes, the Commission and its accreditation program were at a crossroads. Financially, the Commission’s liabilities far outweighed its assets. Though an independent auditor concluded that CALEA was not on the verge of bankruptcy, there was widespread doubt in the law enforcement community about the organization’s long-term viability. In fact, it took four years to erase a sizable negative fund balance. But, ever since, CALEA has operated "in the black," and today it enjoys a substantial excess of assets over liabilities. CALEA’s financial woes had a profound chilling effect on the number of agencies entering the accreditation process and on the willingness of those already in the process to remain committed to it. Compounding this situation was broad dissatisfaction with several aspects of the accreditation program itself. Chief among the criticisms were that the process required too much paperwork, that there were too many duplicate standards, that small agencies were precluded from participation because they did not have the necessary financial or staffing resources, and that accreditation was not compatible with community policing. The Commission systematically addressed each of these concerns. And, once again, volunteer support from the field was key to the quality, focus, and value of the work performed and results achieved. First to be tackled was the issue of small agency participation. A team of Chiefs from small police departments conducted a survey to identify ways in which the accreditation process could be made more attractive to a larger segment of the law enforcement community, especially agencies with 24 or fewer sworn officers. The survey’s findings, based on responses from 423 agencies in the accreditation process and 597 not in the process, reinforced the need for standards reform. The results also pointed to the need for a revised fee structure and for improved marketing to inform a wider audience of the availability and benefits of accreditation. At the same time the Small Agency Review Committee was conducting its study, the Commission was making plans for dramatic changes that would address the accreditation program’s most pressing problems. These plans were announced at CALEA’s March 1993 meeting in Rochester, Minnesota. "As we look back on accreditation’s history, Rochester may well be remembered as CALEA’s turning point," said current Commission Chairman Bill Miller, Chief of the Elgin, Illinois, Police Department. "We took concrete steps to show that we were listening to our constituents. We began to reenergize the program and make accreditation a realistic goal without diluting its integrity or substance. And, we know we were successful because the response we’ve seen from law enforcement since then has affirmed that fact for us." Under the leadership of former Commission Chairman, Chief Ron Nelson of the University of California at San Francisco, Police Department, and with guidance from then Executive Director Wayne Huggins, a number of important changes were mandated in Rochester:
The Commission also announced plans for an accelerated reaccreditation program that would be implemented after the revised standards were approved. Though all these changes were essential to repositioning the accreditation program, the standards review clearly received the most attention and interest. Everyone knew its outcome would be key to CALEA’s survival. Former Commission Vice-Chairman, Charles Reynolds, and then staff Director of Field Services, Dick Kitterman, led the Standards Review Task Force, a team of 35 volunteers representing the diversity of law enforcement agencies. Every existing accreditation standard was subject to intense scrutiny to ensure its substantive importance, relevance, and clarity. New standards were also considered. Nine months after launching its sweeping study, the Task Force presented its final report to the Commission and recommended adoption of 436 revised standards. With its unanimous adoption of the Task Force’s recommendations, CALEA’s Board reduced the number of standards by more than 50% and eliminated additional paperwork by allowing compliance with some standards to be validated by observation rather than documentation. While this broad programmatic remodeling was occurring, a public discussion was also taking place about the compatibility of accreditation and community policing. Although a number of accredited agencies, including the Tempe, Arizona, Police Department; Kettering, Ohio, Police Department; Colorado Springs, Colorado, Police Department; Berkeley, California, Police Department and many others, also practiced community policing, this alone was not sufficient to counter the doubt among skeptics. Thus, in 1993, the National Institute of Justice funded a study to examine the compatibility of accreditation and community policing. Researchers, Dr. Gary Cordner and Dr. Gerald Williams, analyzed each accreditation standard; surveyed law enforcement practitioners, executives, and academics; and conducted case studies at 12 accredited law enforcement agencies that also engaged in community policing. They found no direct conflict between the accreditation standards and community policing principles. Further, executives in all of the case study sites, as well as 70% of the outside experts, affirmed the notion that accreditation standards do not prohibit community policing initiatives. Today, the debate has quieted, as most CALEA accredited agencies also sponsor community policing programs.
Accreditation Today and Tomorrow As CALEA prepares to celebrate its twentieth anniversary in Atlanta, Georgia, in November, it can reflect with satisfaction on a legacy rich with accomplishment. The great strides of the early-to-mid 90s laid the foundation for more recent expansion and refinement of the accreditation program. Since 1996, the Commission has focused substantial attention on outreach to the law enforcement community. It established an executive-level position—Director of Client Services—to ensure that its customers’ needs would be in the forefront of daily activities and long-range planning. It created a website, www.calea.org, to enhance communications with customers and visibility in the marketplace. And, it expanded customer training opportunities to provide increased support to agencies seeking accreditation as well as those already accredited. "Our customers know that we are here to serve them," said Jim Brown, CALEA’s Director of Client Services. "Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why so few of our agencies dropout of the process." Ever mindful of the need to maintain the currency of its standards and the accreditation program, CALEA recently undertook two significant development projects: the Communications Accreditation Program and the Fourth Edition of Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies. The Fourth Edition is the product of the Commission’s latest standards review. A rigorous process undertaken by a committee of 31 volunteers, this comprehensive critique saw the elimination of 11 standards; the addition of 14 standards, primarily dealing with emerging technology and computers; and the modification of 111 others. The Commission’s continuing commitment to excellence also led to the formation of its communications accreditation program. Knowing the vital role that communications centers play in the delivery of law enforcement services, the Commission formed a partnership with the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials—International (APCO) to create an accreditation program that would promote superior public safety communications services. Like the law enforcement accreditation™ program, participation is voluntary, and standards applicability is based on an agency’s size and functional responsibilities. Although new, the communications accreditation program has attracted wide and diverse attention. "With the benefits of operating to national standards, verification of performance by a peer group, and enhanced confidence of the service population, who wouldn’t want to participate in this accreditation program?" asks Bob Greenlaw, Director of the Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His agency received the first communications accreditation award at CALEA’s March 1999 meeting in Denver, Colorado. APCO’s collaboration with CALEA is not the first time an outside organization has sought a partnership with the Commission to promote accreditation, nor is it the last. In 1994, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a five-year grant to the Center for Public Safety, Inc., to provide technical assistance and training to public housing authorities and public housing authority police, including support for CALEA accreditation. Ten public housing police departments were targeted by this grant program and, of them, seven have been accredited, including those in Baltimore City, Boston, Los Angeles, Metropolitan Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Oakland, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. An eighth department, the Buffalo Public Housing Authority Police, will be accredited by year’s end. Similarly, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno has authorized the use of asset forfeiture funds to support accreditation activities, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reaffirmed that up to 50% of an agency’s accreditation fee could be eligible for funding under Section 402 of the Highway Safety Act. Now, as this article is being written, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 1999. If enacted as proposed, the Attorney General will be able to make grants available to law enforcement agencies seeking CALEA accreditation or reaccreditation. With growing external support, 532 agencies accredited, increasing numbers of new customers each month, and the finances to sustain and expand operations, CALEA is well positioned for many more years of making a difference in the quality and continuity of law enforcement services. Already its accreditation program has touched 20% of the full-time law enforcement officers serving at the local, county, and state levels in the United States, as well as 10% of regional and provincial officers in Canada. So, what does the future hold? A key priority for CALEA in the coming year will be to strengthen its relationship with the 11 state accreditation programs. "Clearly, there’s an untapped market out there," said the Commission’s Executive Director, Sylvester Daughtry, former Greensboro, North Carolina, Chief of Police. "State programs have been better able to reach the smaller agencies than we have, but our program is still viewed by most as being the ‘golden ring," he continued. "We want to develop a partnership with state accreditation programs so that agencies can progress from state accreditation to CALEA accreditation." To that end, the Commission has established a State Programs Committee and charged it with developing a business plan for presentation and possible adoption at its November meeting in Atlanta. Goals of the plan will be to acknowledge the efforts of state accreditation programs; to ensure the use of a uniform set of standards across accreditation programs; to form a fiduciary relationship between the state programs and CALEA and to formalize CALEA’s role in the research, development, and ownership of the standards. CALEA is also looking outside the United States and considering how its program might be useful to emerging nations as they establish their law enforcement functions. Said Commission Chairman, Bill Miller, "Our standards deal with the range of critical law enforcement issues—from use of force to training to ethics to personnel selection to prisoners and holding facilities. So, there are many opportunities for accreditation to be a positive influence. We’re going to be talking with the State Department, United Nations, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to see what we can do." Finally, to ensure that the drive, accomplishments, and lessons learned in the past two decades are not defeated in the next, the Commission will be launching a major strategic planning initiative at its upcoming meeting in Atlanta. "We’ll be celebrating where we’ve been and preparing for where we want to go—defining our focus and priorities, setting our goals and milestones, and identifying necessary resources. We want to have a roadmap, like any business, so we don’t get off track," said Executive Director Daughtry. How fitting that this plenary process and the Commission’s twentieth anniversary will coincide in Atlanta. That’s where the first of the original accreditation standards were adopted in September 1980.
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