Accreditation Works
Case Number 53
The
Huber Heights Police Division is a B size agency serving a community of 42,000
residents in the Southwest region of Ohio. After being incorporated as a city in
1981 from an existing township, there remained some obstacles preventing us from
fully developing into a professional law enforcement agency. One primary
obstacle, similar to many other agencies, was the lack of a structured and
relevant set of policies. Foremost was the inconsistent application of what
minimal policies existed.
In one particular incident, the lack of a structured policy regarding prisoner processing, cost the city $2 million. Some additional settlements for justified actions were paid over the course of the next few years due to the inability of the agency to substantiate solid policy to support the officers’ actions. The after-effect of these settlements caused the city to be virtually un-insurable and created a substantial increase in the liability insurance rate. The city council and staff proposed a proactive approach to standardize our agency’s performance, which involved achieving CALEA Accreditation.
In February 2002, we started developing our policy manual in compliance with the professional standards set forth by CALEA. While writing the policies during the self-assessment process, we considered a variety of issues that would strengthen and standardize our operation and reduce potential liability. CALEA Standards concerning Benefits and Conditions of Work, Patrol Operations, Use of Force, and Holding Facility proved extremely value, since these areas seemed to be the primary source of liability exposure for our agency.
In 2004, significant financial savings for the city occurred based on the police department’s development of standardized policies and operations under CALEA Standards. The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation reduced the city’s premium considerably after a demonstrated wage continuation program was established. In addition, the city enjoyed a near $80,000 reduction in liability insurance premiums based on the established policies for Patrol Operations, Use of Force, and Holding Facility. These significant savings were achieved during our self-assessment period.
The Huber Heights Police Division received its initial Accreditation Award on July 30, 2005. We expect to continue to receive the financial savings already realized by the city, and to enjoy the satisfaction of delivering the highest level of professional law enforcement services to our community. There is no question additional benefits, both financial and operational, will be achieved with our accredited status. Accreditation was considered a philosophy for our agency from the beginning, and is now one that is firmly entrenched in the department.
Robert B. Schommer, Deputy Chief
Huber Heights (OH) Police Division
