Accreditation Works
Case Number 39
The accreditation process was the catalyst for many
improvements to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). Because of our
department’s determination to achieve CALEA accreditation on our first attempt,
we literally “raised our standards” in the following areas:
In 1998, during our
first mock assessment, we failed to meet any CALEA standards relative to
juvenile procedures. We immediately took remedial action in this regard. The
NOPD grants section applied for a grant through the State of Louisiana to obtain
federal funds for complete renovation of the physical plant of the Juvenile
Division. With a grant of $290,000 and the City of New Orleans providing an
additional $20,000, the Juvenile Division physical plant was renovated and
upgraded. The Juvenile and Research and Planning Divisions worked together to
re-write the entire operations procedure for the handling of juveniles in
conformance with CALEA standards. Improvements insured a more efficient
operation, including the collection of property and evidence from juveniles,
secure storage of weapons for officers entering the division, and an annual
report to review all enforcement and prevention programs relating to juveniles.
Implementation of a Traffic
Crash Analysis was a direct result of the accreditation process. The
information obtained from this report pinpointed locations, days of the week,
times of day, and causes of repeated collisions. Using this information, the
Traffic Division assigned enforcement officers to targeted locations to help
reduce vehicle accidents.
Every three years, we perform a
workload assessment. This report supports the decision making process of
distribution of personnel within the department. For example, a report was
generated comparing the calls for service to the available manpower. The
results showed over or understaffing based on workload, which in turn allowed us
to schedule a uniform distribution of personnel based on need. This report is
also used to determine the assignment of members of each graduating class,
according to need.
To insure that every unit is in
compliance with departmental regulations, the Inspections Division conducts a
staff inspection of every unit, every three years.
We created an annual Use of
Force Analysis Report to identify where problems were occurring, and to learn
how training methods could be applied to these problems.
We established an Employee
Assistance Program to assist employees in the identification and resolution of
personal, or job related problems.
We re-instituted a Criminal
Intelligence Division, which was a huge asset during major events, such as Mardi
Gras and the Super Bowl. The Division conducted undercover operations during
special events, resulting in increased arrests, and the reduction of crime in
areas of high tourist concentration.
We eliminated 550
outdated, inactive General Orders by canceling or combining them into the newly
created chapters of the Department’s Operations Manual.
In addition to these concrete examples of how CALEA brought
about the improvement in our department, is the pride the New Orleans Police
Department feels in having achieved national accreditation.
Richard J. Pennington, Former
Superintendent of Police
New Orleans (LA) Police Department
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