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.
In September of 2005, the Rocklin Police Department began its self assessment which required the rigorous evaluation of the agencies 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.” To attain accreditation, an agency must comply with all of the mandatory standards and at least 80% of the other than mandatory standards. The Rocklin Police
Department complied with 385 standards.
In December of 2007 a CALEA on site accreditation inspection was conducted by three CALEA assessors. The inspection was conducted to ensure compliance with the standards. During the on-site assessment, the assessors:
- Viewed a display of department facilities and equipment.
- Interviewed police officers, employees, and others to ensure compliance.
- Rode/ sat along with officers and dispatchers to observe police functions.
- Staffed a phone line for public comments.
- Conducted a public hearing regarding the Rocklin Police Department and the applicable standards.
After the on-site assessment was complete, the assessors prepared a report and made a recommendation to the CALEA Commission to award accreditation. This report was reviewed by the CALEA Commission in March 2008 at the National CALEA conference in Atlanta Georgia during the Commission Committee review. The Commission agreed, and the accreditation award was achieved. Reaccreditation will be required once every three years.
