Slidell Police Accreditation Keeps the Department's Insurance Rate Low

SLIDELL - The professional standards maintained by the Slidell Police Department have resulted in over $140,000 in savings for the city.

The City of Slidell's general insurance policy, approved by the City Council, is costing $289,532 for the year. According to the city's insurance broker John Case, this figure is about $140,000 less than the usual rate due to the fact that the Slidell Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Chief of Police Ben O. Morris said the department began the accreditation process in 1992 and was the second police department in Louisiana to become nationally accredited by the CALEA. The department is one of five law enforcement agencies in the state and less than 600 in the nation that are accredited.

Morris said the reason the insurance companies offer the discount for cities with accredited police departments is because of "the comfort factor" that comes with the enhanced performance of being certified. "It's all about professionalism," Morris stated, "if you're professional in what you do, you're going to avoid major problems and the insurance companies like that." The police department's Public Information Officer Rob Callahan pointed out that the Commission does not "rubber stamp agencies into accredited status," but rather conducts thorough evaluations of each police department. The department must conform to CALEA's 436* standards which cover everything from police operations to radio procedures to the equipment carried in the automobiles. Morris stressed that officer preparation has been an integral part of the department's success, saying that he has been "obsessive compulsive when it comes to training." These efforts have paid off, he said, calling attention to the fact that, "In the past 10 years, we have not shot anybody and we have not had anybody shot."

Morris said officer training includes sensitivity training as well, adding that the department's lawsuits stemming from civil rights violations are "virtually non- existent." The department must undergo the accreditation process every three years, but Callahan said belonging to the program "requires constant monitoring and periodic updating of policies and procedures." Morris agreed that accreditation is not a one-time process, asserting that "There's a constant movement to maintain professionalism."

*Currently 463 standards, July 1, 2009

Reprinted with permission, 2000