Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Accreditation
The Law Enforcement Accreditation process focuses on standards that provide best practices related to life, health, and safety procedures for the agency. These standards are considered foundational for contemporary law enforcement agencies.
The program provides the framework for addressing high risk issues within a contemporary environment, and ensures officers are prepared to meet basic community service expectations and prepared to manage critical events.
Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation
The Advanced Law Enforcement Program is specifically designed for elite organizations striving to demonstrate professional excellence within a comprehensive range of operational and administrative functional responsibilities.
Agencies participating in this program are prepared for the management of life, health and safety issues, ensuring issues ranging from community engagement to sound personnel practices are addressed.
Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation results in a highly performing organization with the capacity to address any operational or administrative challenges, and serve as an industry leader. Advantages of Advanced Accreditation or (PDF Version)
Eligibility
Only law enforcement agencies defined as those having legal authority to perform law enforcement functions and whose eligibility is verified by the Commission are eligible to participate in Law Enforcement Accreditation and Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation programs.
These programs are open to all types of law enforcement agencies, on an international basis. Eligible law enforcement agencies are defined as:
- A legally constituted governmental entity having mandated responsibilities to enforce laws and having personnel with general or special law enforcement powers. These include but are not limited to:
- State Police
- State Highway Patrol
- State Department of Law Enforcement
- County Law Enforcement
- Sheriff’s Department
- Municipal Law Enforcement
- Federal Law Enforcement
- Specialized Law Enforcement (e.g., University, Transit, Port Authority, Park, Fish and Game, or Housing)
- Agencies providing law enforcement services whose eligibility is verified by the Commission.
NOTE - Campus organizations that employ non-sworn security exclusively are eligible to participate in the CALEA Campus Security Accreditation Program.
NOTE: In all cases, the Commission will serve as the final authority in determining the eligibility of agencies to participate in accreditation or other programs.
The Standards
The standards are subject to ongoing review and revision. When modifications are recommended, they are presented to the Commission's Standards Review and Interpretation Committee (SRIC) for consideration.
Standards, as set out by the Commission, are constructed with sensitivity to the number of full-time personnel employed by the agency as well as the agency’s mandated functional responsibilities.
This strategy ensures agencies are accountable to relevant standards, which are also delineated into mandatory and other-than-mandatory categories.
NOTE: Agencies eligible to participate in more than one CALEA Accreditation program can apply the Multiple Accreditation Process Model. For more information please contact your Regional Program Manager.
Standard Example
1.1.2 Code of Ethics (LE1)
A written directive requires all personnel to abide by a code or canon of ethics adopted by the agency and mandates that ethics training be conducted for all personnel, at a minimum, biannually.
COMMENTARY: Sworn and non-sworn position dilemmas, temptations, responsibilities, and duties. The Canon of Ethics or Law Enforcement Code of Ethics published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police or the Code of Ethics of the Office of the Sheriff adopted by the National Sheriffs' Association, ICMA Code of Ethics adopted by the International City Managers Association, or APCO Telecommunicator Code of Ethics adopted by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, Inc., will satisfy partial intent of this standard. Adherence to those codes of ethics and to the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials may be included as an element of the oath of office. Ethics review can be in the form of classroom, shift briefing, computer based training and bulletins, or any combination of methods as determined by the agency. Time sensitive standard. (M M M M) (LE1)