March 26, 2018
St. Charles County, Missouri — The St. Charles County Police Department has earned Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®). This prestigious award signifies that the department met the Commission’s standards for professional excellence in public safety. Chief David Todd, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, and members of the department’s accreditation team accepted the award after appearing before the CALEA Commission at a public hearing on Saturday, March 24, in Frisco, Texas.
“This is a hard-earned award that the men and women of the St. Charles County Police Department truly deserve for their selfless commitment to public safety and for meeting every standard throughout this journey to accreditation,” explains Chief Todd. “We have accomplished an incredible goal and will continue improving for the betterment of our community.”
Created in 1979, CALEA is a credentialing authority established through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA); and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Its voluntary, yet arduous accreditation process is internationally recognized as the gold standard in public safety. Of the more than 1,050 public safety agencies in the CALEA accreditation process, 775 have been accredited.
To attain accreditation, the SCCPD complied with the requirements of advanced accreditation, which involves 484 CALEA standards focused in the areas of policy and procedures, management, operation, and support services. CALEA assessors further examined the department during a December 2017 on-site assessment. On Saturday, the SCCPD’s assessment report was reviewed and Chief Todd was interviewed at a public hearing by CALEA Commissioners prior to the committee recommending a vote for full accreditation.
“The process for CALEA accreditation is a rigorous one in and of itself and requires hours of assessment and commitment,” says St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. “We are proud of the men and women of the St. Charles County Police Department for their dedication to this ongoing process and for their commitment to meet the gold standard in public safety. Public safety, crime prevention and confidence from the community are extremely important to my administration and this accreditation means we will continue to meet high standards in those areas and others.”
Chief Todd continues: “Our work is not complete. Every day we will strive toward maintaining the gold standard in public safety by providing quality service to our community.”
SCCPD’s Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation is awarded for four years with annual off-site file reviews by CALEA Compliance Service Members.
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