The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence. Specifically, CALEA’s goals are to:
- Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities;
- Formalize essential management procedures;
- Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices;
- Improve service delivery;
- Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination; and
- Increase community and staff confidence in the agency.
The CALEA Accreditation Process is a proven modern management model; once implemented, it presents the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), on a continuing basis, with a blueprint that promotes the efficient use of resources and improves service delivery - regardless of the size, geographic location, or functional responsibilities of the agency.
This accreditation program provides law enforcement agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards.
The accreditation requires a rigorous evaluation of our policies and procedures for compliance with the standards. CALEA has established 446 standards which reflect the best practices in law enforcement. Of these, 356 are designated as mandatory for agencies the size of the Rocklin Police Department. The remaining standards are “other than mandatory.”
Accreditation also requires on-site inspection be conducted by CALEA assessors. These inspections include:
- Inspection of police facilities and equipment.
- Interviews with police officers, employees, and others to ensure compliance.
- Ride-a-longs/ sit-a-longs with officers and dispatchers to observe police functions.
- Publice "call-in" session during which public comments are received.
- A public hearing regarding the Rocklin Police Department and the applicable standards is held.
After the on-site assessment, assessors prepare a report and make a recommendation to the CALEA Commission to award accreditation. This report is reviewed by the CALEA Commission at a National CALEA conference during the Commission Committee review. The Commission has to agree for the accreditation award to be achieved. Reaccreditation is required once every three years.
For more information regarding Law Enforcement Accreditation, please visit CALEA's website at www.calea.org
Questions?
Contact Lt. Lon Milka, Accreditation Manager at 916.625.5445 or by email at lon.milka@rocklin.ca.us
