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CASE #16 (Issue #69: February 1999)Submitted by James T. Moore, Commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) became accredited by CALEA in 1990. We were the first statewide, non uniform investigative agency to become accredited; we renewed that accreditation in 1995. The CALEA self-assessment process requires an agency to perform an in-depth review of its management, administration, operations, and support services in comparison to professional standards. When the agency identifies a deficiency, it creates or revises policies and procedures to correct the situation before a problem occurs.FDLE, as a large statewide agency with many unique functions, had a comprehensive written directives system with numerous operational manuals for the separate functions. However, during the self-assessment phase, we identified several areas needing enhancement and made changes to our policies and procedures to improve operations. These changes, based on the CALEA standards, proved to be conceptually sound and operationally effective. The CALEA on-site assessment provides an independent, objective peer review of the agency's programs and practices, allowing for constructive feedback for further improvements. And, the peer review is an excellent forum for sharing ideas. The assessors, all experienced law enforcement professionals, bring ideas from their own agencies and from other agencies they've reviewed.CALEA standards require the agency to establish a reporting process for monitoring and measuring performance. This ensures continual growth and improvement and a method to confirm that we're practicing what we've established in the written directives system. As an agency administrator, I'm looking forward to FDLE's next self-assessment and on-site assessment processes. Accreditation provides a very useful "report card" of our progress. This is essential information as our agency faces the challenges of the next century.
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Accreditation is a proven way to help organizations evaluate and
improve their overall performance. The standards of the Commission
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies provide a clear outline
of excellence for the law enforcement profession. Receiving the
Certificate of Accreditation makes a statement to citizens, government officials,
and law enforcement colleagues that the agency meets high standards.
