COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA^®) is pleased to announce the successful awarding of CALEA Accreditation/Recognition to 64 public safety agencies. These agencies received their awards on July 26, 2008, in conjunction with CALEA’s Summer Conference in Boca Raton, Florida.

The awards signify the agencies have successfully met a body of internationally recognized professional standards in one of four public safety credentialing programs offered by CALEA: Law Enforcement Accreditation, Public Safety Communications Accreditation, Public Safety Training Academy Accreditation, and CALEA Recognition. Today, there are CALEA Awarded agencies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

CALEA was established as an independent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major law enforcement executive associations: 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).

CALEA’s purpose and mission is two-fold. First, to establish a body of standards designed to increase agency effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of public safety services and, second, to establish and administer a series of accreditation programs through which public safety agencies can demonstrate voluntarily that they meet an established set of professionally recognized standards leading to excellence in management and service delivery.

The CALEA Accreditation/Recognition process, itself, is a proven modern management model. Once implemented, it presents an agency’s Chief Executive Officer, on a continuing basis, with a blueprint that promotes the efficient use of resources and improves service delivery - regardless of the size, geographic location, or functional responsibilities of the agency. The standards upon which CALEA’s programs are based reflect the current thinking and experience of public safety practitioners and researchers and are considered benchmarks for today's public safety agencies.

Agencies receive their awards after participating in a process that involves a commitment of personnel and other resources. The process can take up to 36 months for law enforcement agencies seeking CALEA Accreditation. Communications and training agencies, as well as agencies seeking CALEA Recognition, take up to 24 months. In some instances, however, the process is completed in a shorter time frame. During that period, all aspects of the agency’s policies, procedures, management, operations and support services are examined in detail. In addition, each agency conducts a detailed self-assessment and participates in an on-site review by a team of outside CALEA Assessors, composed of experienced public safety practitioners. The local community is also notified of the process and given an opportunity to submit their comments and observations

Below are the agencies that received awards at the 2008 CALEA Summer Conference. The number in parenthesis after each agency indicates the number of awards the agency has received to date.

The agencies receiving Law Enforcement Accreditation Awards were:

Alabama	Mobile Police Department (5)
	Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Police Department (1)

Alberta	Canadian Pacific Police Service (3)

California	Fresno (City of) Police Department (2)
	Univ. of California, San Francisco Police Department (1)

Colorado	Colorado Springs Police Department (6)
	Golden Police Department (1)

Delaware	Bethany Beach Police Department (1)
	Wilmington Department of Police (5)

Florida	Boca Raton Police Services Department (6)
	North Palm Beach Department of Public Safety (1)
	St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (6)

Georgia	LaGrange Police Department (4)
	Rome City Police Department (7)
	Valdosta Police Department (4)

Hawaii	Maui County Police Department (5)

Illinois	Deerfield Police Department (2)
	Hinsdale Police Department (5)
	Normal Police Department (5)
	St. Charles Police Department (6)
	Waukegan Police Department (1)

Indiana	Brownsburg Metropolitan Police Department (5)
	Munster Police Department (1)

Iowa	West Des Moines Police Department (5)

Maryland	Anne Arundel County Police Department (5)
	Salisbury Police Department (6)
	Univ. of Maryland Department of Public Safety (5)

Massachusetts	Danvers Police Department (7)
	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police Department (2)

New Mexico	New Mexico State Police (1)

Mississippi	Mississippi State Univ. Police Department (2)

Missouri	Bolivar Police Department (4)
	Joplin Police Department (1)

Nevada	Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (6)
New Hampshire	Durham Police Department (4)

New York	Manlius Police Department (5)
	Monroe County Sheriff's Office (6)

North Carolina	Burlington Police Department (6)
	Huntersville Police Department (1)
	North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (2)

North Dakota	Bismarck Police Department (6)

Ohio	Columbus Division of Police (4)
	Columbus Regional Airport Authority Division of Public Safety, Police Section (2)
	Huber Heights Police Division (2)
	Ohio Department of Taxation - Enforcement Division (3)

Pennsylvania	Harrisburg Bureau of Police (6)

South Carolina	Charleston Police Department (6)

Tennessee	Bristol Police Department (4)
	Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (5)

Virginia	Henrico County Division of Police (6)
	Roanoke Police Department (5)

Washington	Clark County Sheriff's Office (7)
	Univ. of Washington Police Department (2)

CALEA congratulates these agencies for their dedication and hard work in their pursuit of public safety professionalism and excellence.

Source: Sylvester Daughtry Jr., Executive Director, 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030

NEWS RELEASE