The roots for accreditation in law enforcement can be traced back to the civil
unrest that America faced in the 1960s and early 1970s. Many cities experienced largescale riots with loss of life and extensive property damage while the police appeared to be ill prepared for dealing with such events. The public trust in law enforcement was strained as the public viewed the police as undertrained, unprofessional, and unwilling to earn from their past mistakes. Police policies were for the most part poorly written or sometimes nonexistent, and agency hiring practices were often discriminatory. Abuses of constitutional rights were often seen in the news, and the lack of professionalism and accountability became a topic of national discussion (CALEA, 2007, p. 1-1). In order to address these issues, DOJ provided a grant to the four leading law enforcement associations, the IACP, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
(NOBLE), the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research
Forum (PERF). It should be noted that these associations still provide significant
leadership for modern law enforcement and were involved with the crafting of the
intelligence-led policing strategy that is one of the founding principles of the current national fusion center doctrine. As a result of their efforts, it was recommended that a national standard for law enforcement was needed, as well as a methodology to provide law enforcement leadership with the means to voluntarily improve the professionalism and accountability of their agencies. In so doing, the goal was that public safety agencies would increase their ability to maintain law and order, agency effectiveness and efficiency, and cooperation with other agencies, and would provide the citizens and agency employees with confidence in the abilities, objectives, goals, and practices of the law enforcement profession (CALEA, 2007, p. 1-2).
The Commission for Law Enforcement Accreditation was created as a private,
nonprofit organization in 1979 (CALEA, 2007, p. 1-2). The purpose and mission of
CALEA 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 (CALEA, 2007, p. 1-2).
In order to achieve its mission, CALEA has identified the following goals
(CALEA, 2007, p. 1-2):
• Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities;
• Formalize essential management procedures;
• Establish fair and non-discriminatory personnel practices;
• Improve service delivery;
• Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination;
• Increase community and staff confidence in the agency.
CALEA is governed by a commission of 21 members; 11 members are from the
law enforcement discipline while the remaining ten come from other public sector
disciplines and the private sector. The commissioners are representative of international, national, state, and local law enforcement and public-safety agencies as well as business, academia, judicial, and state and local non–law enforcement government. The commission oversees all standing committees and the development and approval of standards and credentialing (CALEA, 2007, p. 2-1).
In order to become accredited, an agency must apply for accreditation and then
conduct a self-assessment based on the recognized CALEA standards. These standards
were developed and agreed upon by subject matter experts and the CALEA commission;
they are subject to ongoing review and revision by the Standards Review and
Interpretation Committee of CALEA. The CALEA standards are internationally
recognized as benchmarks for modern public-safety agencies (CALEA, 2007, p. 1-3).
The applicability of a standard to an agency is determined by the agency size and
function; certain core samples are designated as mandatory for compliance by all
accredited agencies. An agency has 36 months in which to complete the self-assessment
phase and schedule an on-site assessment. During the self-assessment phase, the agency must work towards complying with the applicable standards, developing proofs of compliance and preparing for the on-site assessment. A CALEA program manager is
available to assist the agency with any questions concerning applicability or definition of standards (CALEA, 2007, p. 3-2).
Once the agency has completed the self-assessment and the CALEA program
manager concurs, an on-site assessment is conducted by CALEA assessors to ensure that
the agency is in compliance with all applicable standards. Prior to arrival at the agency, the assessors review compliance files previously requested of the agency. During the onsite visit the assessors conduct a tour of the agency, perform on-site policy and compliance file reviews, interact with and interview agency personnel, seek public input and comment, and then conduct an exit interview with executive leadership (CALEA, 2007, p. 3-3). A report containing findings and recommendations is then submitted to the CALEA commission for the credentialing determination. The CALEA commission issues a determination concerning the accreditation of the agency using one of the following findings (CALEA, 2007, p. 3-4):
• Accredited—The agency is in full compliance with all applicable
mandatory standards and with the required percentage of applicable otherthan-
mandatory standards.
• Accredited with Conditions—The agency is designated as accredited but
requires that the agency take specified measures or precautions, within
specific time-limits, to cope with current or anticipated events or
conditions threatening or preventing compliance.
Once an agency receives accreditation, the credential is good for three years
before a reaccreditation application and process must occur. This process includes a selfassessment and on-site assessment, and the agency must demonstrate that it has been in compliance with the required standards for the three years it was accredited. Agencies are required to submit an annual agency accreditation report, as well as reports concerning non-compliance issues and changes in agency personnel (CALEA, 2007, p. 7-1). The CALEA commission can return the following decisions concerning reaccreditation of an agency or suspension of an agency while accreditation is current (CALEA, 2007, p. 3-4):
• Accredited—Same as previously defined.
• Accreditation suspended—Suspension is a temporary action regarding the
accreditation status of an agency until a final decision is made by the
commission. The suspension is for a specific length of time, on a case by
case basis.
• Accreditation revoked—The commission designates the agency as no
longer accredited.
• Accreditation deferred—The accreditation decision is postponed; the
agency maintains its current accreditation status pending a decision.
Through compliance with a recognized set of standards, a law enforcement
agency can improve its accountability to the public and community leadership, make
fact-based decisions regarding the needs and future direction of the agency, and limit the agency’s risk exposure.
Excerpt from: "A TRUSTED NATIONAL FUSION CENTER NETWORK: ARE BASELINE
CAPABILITIES AND ACCREDITATION NEEDED?"
R. Don Ladner, Jr.
Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
B.A., St. Leo College, 1993
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES
(HOMELAND SECURITY AND DEFENSE)
from the
NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
September 2010
Author: R. Don Ladner, Jr.
Approved by: John Rollins
Thesis Advisor
Lauren Wollman
Second Reader
Harold A. Trinkunas, PhD
Chairman, Department of Homeland Security and Defense
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA531578
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