ALBEMARLE — The Albemarle Police Department has once again received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
For nearly 30 years, the APD has maintained its CALEA status as an accredited law enforcement agency, confirming that the department has met and achieved 461 standards related to life, health, safety, community engagement, and personnel practices.
Members of the department attended the four-day Summer CALEA Conference in Winston-Salem that began on July 24. Following a pattern that began in July 1995, the CALEA Board of Commissioners voted to approve the APD’s accreditation request.
The accreditation lasts for four years, and the decision is rendered by a governing body of 21 commissioners following a public hearing and review of documentation.
“I want to thank all of the men and women of APD for their dedication to helping us maintain our CALEA accreditation,” APD Police Chief Jason Bollhorst said in a press release. “This accreditation demonstrates APD’s commitment to maintaining high standards while working together as a team.”
For 45 years, CALEA has maintained its status as a credentialing authority for law enforcement’s major executive associations; the process begins with annual reports and training, continuing with onsite assessments and full commission review hearings.
“Congratulations to the Albemarle Police Department,” the City of Albemarle wrote in a social media post. “The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies recently approved the APD to once again be recognized as a CALEA accredited law enforcement agency. CALEA is known as the gold standard in law enforcement accreditation.”
CALEA’s accreditation for public safety agencies that meet policy and operation standards is based on evaluating the number of full-time employees in an agency coupled with the effectiveness of their respective responsibilities.
The commission’s accreditation process also focuses on six key standards: comprehensive and uniform written directives; reports and analyses; preparedness for critical incidents; community relationship-building and maintenance; independent review by subject matter experts; and continuous pursuit of excellence.
As a part of CALEA’s procedure for accreditation, the APD provides an opportunity for public feedback through the CALEA online accreditation public comment portal at cimrs2.calea.org.
The portal is designed to gather concerns from the public on the APD’s compliance with CALEA, as well as the department’s engagement in the service community; the information is considered in context to its relevance to compliance with CALEA accreditation.
Created in 1979, CALEA was a joint effort by four major law enforcement associations to bring together a credentialing authority: the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).