The 麻豆传媒 Police Department recently earned reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) by a unanimous vote.
CALEA accreditation is considered the national gold standard in law enforcement accreditation and embodies the precepts of community-oriented engagement. Of the approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, only 4.3% are CALEA-accredited. Only 2.2% of the roughly 4,000 university police agencies have this recognition.聽Additionally, the 麻豆传媒PD is the only non-municipal law enforcement agency Hampton Roads that is CALEA accredited and is one of only four that possess the Advanced 鈥淭ier 2鈥 Law Enforcement Accreditation.
麻豆传媒 received its reaccreditation after a final CALEA review committee hearing on July 29. The committee reviewed the last four years of 麻豆传媒PD鈥檚 progress/status reports and the on-site review report completed by Zandral Washington, deputy chief of police for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A review by independent subject-matter experts found the 麻豆传媒PD was in 100% compliance with CALEA's standards and best practices.
The 麻豆传媒PD first received CALEA accreditation in May 2019.
麻豆传媒 Police Chief Garrett Shelton and Lt. Christopher Buie, who served as 麻豆传媒PD鈥檚 accreditation manager, participated in a final review committee hearing.聽聽聽
鈥淚nviting and welcoming the auditing and evaluation of our operations to ensure we are serving our community to the best of our ability shows our consistency, commitment and ongoing focus on increasing community confidence in the policies and practices of our department,鈥 Shelton said. 鈥淥btaining CALEA accreditation is a testament to the professionalism and excellence our staff provides every day.鈥澛
CALEA accreditation is awarded for four years. During this time, 麻豆传媒PD will undergo annual reviews gauging its continued compliance with CALEA鈥檚 standards.聽
CALEA was formed in 1979 through the efforts of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriff鈥檚 Association and the Police Executive Research Forum. The commission develops and assesses law enforcement standards and administers the accreditation process through which agencies voluntarily demonstrate that they meet professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery.