CALEA® is dedicated to the improvement of public safety agencies services, primarily through voluntary credentialing programs and by establishing and maintaining standards for the operation of  public safety agencies. CALEA Accreditation facilitates the pursuit of professional excellence.

Three Commissioners Leave the CALEA Board

presents first-hand testimonies of the positive outcomes of CALEA Accreditation for an agency. These success stories reflect the often unreported benefits experienced by CALEA Agencies and all are encouraged to submit their own examples to CALEA to be shared. more

Whether they are making a routine traffic stop or investigating a homicide, law enforcement officers need to be able to communicate effectively to do their jobs. Yet, with the United States in the midst of the largest wave of immigration since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, incidents like the one described above—in which an officer is unable to communicate with an individual who does not speak English well—have become increasingly common. more

Communications Open Channel

Willis Carter, President, APCO International
Three times a year I have the opportunity to provide you all with updates on communications issues through this column in the CALEA Update. It has been my goal to use this vehicle to talk about what APCO International is doing to promote professionalism in our communications centers and encouraging more interest in the CALEA Public Safety Communications Accreditation Program. There are several activities that fall under that heading for this issue, including the APCO Institute’s distance learning initiatives with CALEA and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the further development of our American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. more

An Argument for Law Enforcement Accreditation and Officer Education Requirements—Possible Alternatives to the Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…” Nowhere, however, does the amendment specify how to rectify the situation in the event police officers violate this right. more

Northwest PAC Builds Bridges  
Successfully achieving CALEA Accreditation says much about a law enforcement agency, or any public safety organization. In fact, it speaks volumes. To describe the self-assessment phase of the accreditation process as “comprehensive” would be rhetorical. And it certainly is not an undertaking for the timid. There is an extraordinary amount of planning and work demanded by an agency when taking on this opportunity for the first time. Yet, in order to sustain accreditation, the approach must never be that it is a task or a project. That mentality, in and of itself, will prevent the agency from understanding one of the inherent constructs of accreditation: It must be a breathing, dynamic force that is integrated into the culture of the agency. more

CALEA Hosts Chinese Delegation

Executive Director Sylvester Daughtry and Associate Director Jim Brown hosted a delegation of officials from the People’s Republic of China last November at the CALEA office. With the aid of a very talented interpreter, they explained the history and workings of the Commission and the CALEA Accreditation Process. more

CALEA Accreditation: A Twenty-One Year Journey
The Arvada (CO) Police Department is a suburban “C” sized agency located in the Denver metropolitan area. We began the quest to become CALEA Accredited in the early 1980s under the direction of the now retired chief of police, Dr. Jerry Williams, and received our initial Law Enforcement Accreditation Award in March 1986. We have received six subsequent reaccreditation awards, including the most recent at the November 2007 Colorado Springs conference, where we were also recognized as a “CALEA Flagship” agency. more

Changes to Standards Finalized and Proposed
At the Fall 2007 meeting in Colorado Springs of the Commission’s Standards Review and Interpretation Committee (SRIC), changes to two CALEA Standards were finalized. All CALEA Clients were notified of these changes, which take effective immediately: more

Welcome to CALEA!
Between August 1, 2007 and November 30, 2007, the following agencies joined the CALEA family by signing initial Agreements: more

That’s One Way to Advertise Your On-site!
The El Paso (TX) Police Department routinely uses public billboards to advertise recruiting efforts and in its fight against human trafficking, but also utilized this unique method to publicize the public hearing for its first CALEA On-site Assessment. This billboard notice was placed on Interstate 10, the busiest roadway in the city, for a month prior to the hearing date, to ensure that the community was adequately notified. more

Your Commissioners – Polisar and Bowman
Commissioner Joseph M. Polisar was named Chief of Police of Garden Grove, California, in 1998. Prior to his move to California, Chief Polisar spent twenty-one years with the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department, retiring as Chief in 1997. The Garden Grove Police Department has been CALEA Law Enforcement Accredited since July 1988, and the Albuquerque Police Department has been Law Enforcement Accredited since November 1989.   more

Commissioner Theron L. Bowman began his law enforcement career in 1983 as an officer with the Arlington (TX) Police Department, and served in numerous positions before being appointed Chief of Police in 1999. The Arlington Police Department has been CALEA Law Enforcement Accredited since November 1989. Chief Bowman has been actively involved in CALEA since 1994 when he became a CALEA Assessor. more

The 2007 CALEA Fall Conference was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort. The Broadmoor is world known for its beauty and elegance, as the over 1,100 in attendance can attest! Our host was the Colorado Springs Police Department, and with first-class assistance from the Rocky Mountain Accreditation Network (RMAN), they organized a fantastic conference with all of the amenities. Our thanks to Chief of Police Richard W. Myers and his Host Committee, chaired by Sergeant Mark Stevens, of the Colorado Springs Police Department, for a job well done! more

CALEA FLAGSHIP AGENCIES - Colorado Springs Conference 

Twelve agencies were recognized at the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Fall CALEA Conference as a CALEA Flagship Agency. The Flagship Agency Program was introduced in December 2004 to acknowledge the achievement and expertise of some of the most successful CALEA Accredited Agencies, and also to provide “flagship examples” to assist others.  more

Colorado Springs Conference Awards

Police detectives in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area had long shared police intelligence via small group meetings and phone calls. Seven different jurisdictional intelligence meetings, broken up primarily by county lines, met monthly and typically would have 5-25 detectives in attendance. Unsolved cases, recently arrested suspects and wanted suspects would generally be discussed during those meetings. Each detective would take notes, and collect handouts and wanted posters to take back to their perspective agency. For the most part, the information and intelligence data was stale by the time it was passed on. This method of intelligence sharing had become out dated, time consuming, and simply ineffective. more

Certificates of Meritorious Accreditation Announce 
Eighteen agencies were recognized during the CALEA Conference Celebration Banquet Colorado Springs, Colorado for having been CALEA Accredited for 15 or more continuous years. These agencies receive an enhanced Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation, displaying a blue “Meritorious” ribbon and an inscription proclaiming their 15 or more years of accredited status.  more

Revisiting the Fitness & Health in Law Enforcement Model Program
Nearly six years ago, in response to alarming health data, a coalition of major law enforcement organizations in the United States joined forces to form a Task Group charged with developing a voluntary fitness and health model for use by agencies throughout the country. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®) was chosen as the logical venue for this effort. more

Three Receive Bittner Award
At the November 2007 CALEA Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, three individuals were awarded the Egon Bittner Award during the Saturday evening Celebration Banquet: Chief David E. Dial, Naperville (IL) Police Department; Chief James V. Murray, Peachtree City (GA) Police Department; and Chief John A. Peach, Director of Public Safety, Police Services, Kent State University (OH). more

CALEA Assessors Receive Certificates of Appreciation
In 2005, the Commission’s Awards Committee approved a new recognition awards program for the Commission’s “eyes and ears” — the CALEA Assessors. It was determined that a Certificate of Appreciation would be awarded in recognition of the many loyal public safety officials who have demonstrated their long-term commitment to CALEA and the Accreditation Process by serving as a CALEA Assessor for 10 or more years. In addition, a special plaque award was designed for active CALEA Assessors who have served 20 or more years.  more