Full Notification

The Arlington Police Department was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®) in November 1989 for a 5-year period. It was re-accredited for each of the following periods following the original accreditation. The Arlington Training Center was individually accredited by CALEA® in March 2010 and reaccredited in March 2013. The department’s on-site assessment, combined with the Training Center’s assessment for its next re-accreditation, will occur August 9-12, 2015. If re-accredited in November 2015, the Police Department and Training Center will continue to be on a 4-year cycle for re-assessment.

THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®) was established in 1979 by law enforcement’s major membership associations:
• International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP);
• National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE);
• National Sheriff’s Association (NSA); and
• Police Executive Research Forum

CALEA® has established standards designed to improve agency operations through:
• development of comprehensive, well thought out, uniform set of written directives; one of the most successful methods for reaching administrative and operational goals, while providing direction to personnel;
• necessary reports and analyses a CEO needs to make fact-based, informed management decisions;
• development of a preparedness program to ensure an agency is ready to address natural or man-made unusual occurrences;
• development and improvement upon an agency’s relationship with the community;
• strengthening an agency’s accountability, within the agency and the community;
• demonstration of internationally recognized standards, verified by a team of independent assessors, which can limit an agency’s liability and risk exposure; and
• facilitation of an agency’s pursuit of professional excellence.

Law enforcement agencies voluntarily demonstrate that they meet the established standards through submitting periodic reports and having an on-site assessment by law enforcement representatives from other states. During the on-site visit, assessors review documents, observe facilities, equipment and operations, talk to employees, and take comments from employees and the public. The standards are periodically reviewed and updated.

The 5th edition of the Law Enforcement Standards Manual became effective May 2006. The manual now contains 484 standards addressing six major law enforcement areas:
• role, responsibilities, and relationships with other agencies;
• organization, management, and administration;
• personnel administration;
• law enforcement operations, operational support, and traffic law enforcement;
• detainee and court-related services; and
• auxiliary and technical services.

The 2nd edition of the Public Safety Training Academies Manual became effective in May 2006. The manual now contains 159 standards organized into nine chapters:
• credentialing
• organization
• direction and authority
• human resources
• recruitment, selection, employment, and promotion
• instructional systems
• training administration
• instructors
• students