Record-Setting 8th Accreditation for Arvada Police
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) presented the Police Department with its 8th accreditation earlier this spring.
It also named Arvada as a Flagship agency for the
second straight time as well as a Meritorious organization for the third
straight time.
Flagship Designation
A Flagship designation is presented to
a law enforcement organization demonstrating compliance of CALEA’s
standards in an exemplary manner. It also means the Arvada Police Department
will serve as a resource to other agencies taking part in the accreditation
process.
During the recently completed CALEA conference, Arvada Police Department accreditation team members staffed a Flagship agency information display, answered questions from other conference attendees and provided copies of Arvada Police Department policies which could be used as models for other agencies.
The Arvada Police Department was also the first agency in Colorado to be designated as a Flagship agency and is one of only two within Colorado to attain that distinction.
Meritorious Honor
The Meritorious honor recognizes the
Arvada Police Department for achieving and maintaining CALEA Accreditation
for 15 or more continuous years. The department was first accredited
in 1986.
“Accreditation isn’t simply a certificate
hanging on the wall. It’s an opportunity for our department to challenge
itself to ensure we are implementing best practices in all areas to
maximize our service to the community,” said Commander Kathy Foos
who served as the accreditation manager overseeing the CALEA process
throughout the most recent three year cycle.
The Arvada Police Department is the first
Colorado Police Department to receive its 8th accreditation
through CALEA. The 2010 accreditation process differed from those in
the past with the Department serving as a beta test site for a proposed
streamlined accreditation process for CALEA.
In December of last year, two CALEA assessors traveled to the police department for a twofold review.
First they examined the department’s directive system (the Rules & Procedures Manual, Operating Guidelines, General Orders, and Special Orders etc.) to determine if they were written in accord with best practices for a police department.
The second part of their inspection dealt with whether or not these practices were being followed in everyday operations. The department received very high marks on both counts.
The streamlined process found the assessors reviewing more than 200 CALEA standards, less than half of a traditional on-site assessment, and spending a large portion of their two days interviewing police employees and hosting a public comment session.
