Monday, April 03, 2000
Area police proud of accreditation
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Accreditation “is the most tangible sign” of professionalism among police agencies, says Steve Mitchell, program manager for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
Accreditation is important to citizens, he said, because CALEA standards require a police agency to be accountable and communicate with the public.
About 15Tristate police departments are accredited, including Hamilton, which is undergoing re-accreditation. Beginning April 8, a team of assessors from the commission will visit the police department and will scrutinize all aspects of its operation, said Officer Dave Crawford, Hamilton police spokesman.
Police Chief Neil Ferdelman called CALEA accreditation “a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.”
“When the Hamilton police department was originally accredited in 1990, less than 1 percent of the police agencies throughout the United States had achieved this standard of professionalism,” Chief Ferdelman said.
Hamilton remains the only accredited police agency in Butler County, according to the commission's Internet site.
The city of Fairfield hopes to have its police department accredited sometime next year, said Lt. Ken Colburn, Fairfield police department's accreditation manager.
CALEA was established in 1979 under the combined efforts of four U.S. police organizations: The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriffs' Association and the Police Executive Research Forum.
Most police agencies still lack accreditation. Among cities of 10,000 population or more, only about 20 percent of police agencies have obtained accreditation or are working for it, Mr. Mitchell said.
“The smaller agencies look at it as perhaps an expense that they cannot afford,” he said, adding that the commission is trying to assist such agencies with grants.
To receive accreditation, a police agency must be assessed on standards set by the commission and must be in compliance with at least 404 of those standards. It's effective for three years.
CALEA charges a $250 application fee, along with an accreditation fee that runs $4,675 to $7,650 for most departments. Departments with more than 200 officers pay even higher fees.
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