Accreditation Works
Case Number 55
The Grants Pass (OR) Department of
Public Safety is not only another illustration of excellence in action, but has
become a training ground for law enforcement leadership. Of the 12 municipal law
enforcement agencies in the counties of Josephine and Jackson, located in
southern Oregon’s beautiful rural Rogue Valley, the four largest municipal law
enforcement agencies have had chiefs of police who at one time served in command
level positions at the Grants Pass DPS: Medford, Ashland, Central Point, and
myself, as the current chief of Grants Pass.
Interestingly, each of the four agencies is in CALEA: Grants Pass has been CALEA Law Enforcement accredited since 1993 and Public Safety Communications accredited since 2004; Medford Police Department is in CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation self-assessment; and both Central Point Police Department and Ashland Police Department have CALEA Recognition awards through the state accreditation program.
The Grants Pass DPS has turned out leader after leader, primarily because accreditation standards ensure that the agency not only hires exemplary employees, but also trains, and develops those employees to establish their goals as they seek to maintain the high professional standards of the accredited law enforcement community. The skills learned by these leaders have been recognized by city managers and hiring boards, as those needed to lead a law enforcement agency.
Additionally, because I was unable to appear for the final review hearing of my agency at the Nashville CALEA Conference, November 19, 2005, I provided the following letter to be read into the record by our accreditation manager, Commander Laura Zeliff, at the Review Committee Hearing, to demonstrate the intrinsic value of accreditation found by the Grants Pass DPS:
“The CALEA process for the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety has been a foundation for how we provide safe, effective, and professional service to our community. Last year we expanded our commitment to CALEA by gaining accredited status for our 911/Communications Center. As a public safety agency, we also provide fire/rescue service and, I assure you, if CALEA had a process for accrediting the fire service, we would be first in line to pursue that as well.
Last year I was appointed to my current position as Chief. Because I came from within the agency, I had an intimate knowledge of what CALEA offers our agency and of its many benefits. In looking over the last year and a half, I could not imagine assuming the chief executive position in any law enforcement agency, which lacked accreditation. We are all keenly aware of the liability exposure we have in keeping our communities safe. CALEA provides me with a sense of comfort and support in knowing we stand alongside a large contingent of professionals who underwrite the very way we do business.
This month our community will be welcoming a new City Manager. Our previous manager was present during our entire CALEA history and was a strong supporter of the accreditation process. In a brief conversation with the new manager, he praised our agency for meeting the stringent standards the CALEA process entails and indicated his continued support of our accreditation efforts.”
The Grants Pass DPS will continue to strive for excellence in law enforcement and public safety communications service delivery and to encourage our staff to do the same.
Joe Henner, Chief of Police
Grants Pass (OR) Department of Public Safety
