Accreditation Works
Case Number 37
 The Plano (TX) Police
Department had the opportunity to participate in the panel review process during
our last on-site in 2000. I can say it was an “opportunity” now, but if you had
asked me prior to the on-site, I would have worded it quite differently. The
prospect of mailing our files and having employee presentations was not
something I welcomed. However, after seeing the difference the presentations
made in the level of understanding and involvement in the entire accreditation
process for our staff, I am thankful we were “asked” to be a test site.
Not only did the panel review increase the staff’s sense of ownership in
accreditation, it made them all appreciate the hard work that had always been
considered the accreditation manager’s responsibility. The panel review also
served to take the mystery out of the standards and they could all see that
there is nothing in them that is “unreasonable” for our agency.
Most
of us are facing economic hardships; the City of Plano is certainly no
exception. It is the belief of our Chief and city administrators that our
participation in CALEA will continue to offer liability protection and the
assurance of appropriate police practices, to the extent that any hard cost of
the CALEA contract would be more than offset. The tasks required by compliance
with CALEA standards are to a great degree a permanent part of our working
environment. Whether or not you put a proof in a folder, we will still be
writing policy and procedure, we will still be addressing the requirements of
racial profiling, and we will still be training, etc., etc., etc. I appreciate
having CALEA standards to guide our agency in the process of developing a
nationally acceptable professional police response to questions that arise for
our agency on a day-to-day basis. My City Manager appreciates being able to
show a stamp of approval to our community, from a nationally recognized
organization like CALEA, that the
Plano Police Department has
proven that it is doing the right thing by these accepted standards.
Dorris Certain, Accreditation Manager and
CALEA Commissioner
Plano (TX) Police Department
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