Office of Accreditation
2000 has seen a major step in the Police Department’s continued efforts toward professionalization. Chief Snellbaker has put in place an intensive program designed to prepare the Department for accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (“CALEA”) by the end of 2002.
The CALEA accreditation process requires that the Department demonstrate proven adherence to a set of nationally recognized law enforcement standards and criteria for excellence in management and service.
The Accreditation Office began the process by systematically organizing for and undertaking a Department-wide self-assessment program. New recruits and all supervisors were trained in the requirements of accreditation, including the self-assessment process. The Office then completed the CALEA Application Process, the CALEA Agency Profile Questionnaire and CALEA staff interview.
Projected Accreditation Office accomplishments for 2001 will be implementing priority recommendations necessary for CALEA accreditation. These include adjustments to the General Orders effecting the Department’s written directive system, issues related to the overall Departmental organization and processing long-lead time compliance items.
The long-term goals of the Accreditation Office are to achieve a successful self-assessment, a 100% compliance rate with all applicable mandatory CALEA standards and a 80% compliance rate with all applicable non-mandatory CALEA standards by September 2002. Additional goals include the successful completion of a mock assessment procedure by December 2002 and to schedule and achieve initial CALEA official assessment and approval by May of 2003. Finally, the Office anticipates participating in and achieving full Accreditation following a CALEA hearing in the fall of 2003