The Salisbury Police Department is proud to announce that it was awarded national accreditation on March 26, 2021 by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in the Tier 1 CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, signifying excellence in public safety and a commitment to community. Considered to be the gold standard in public safety, SPD was first awarded CALEA accreditation in 1987.
Each agency being reviewed goes before CALEA’s 21-member Board of Commissioners where the commission reviews all findings and determines the agencies’ accreditation status. Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan and Accreditation Manager Sgt. Mike Loring attended the CALEA virtual Spring 2021 conference. On Friday March 26, 2021, the CALEA Commission voted to approve the reaccreditation of Salisbury Police Department.
“Crime reduction through community partnerships within the City of Salisbury is our main focus and we could not achieve our goal without the guidance, structure and support of CALEA,” shared Chief Barbara Duncan. “I would also like to extend thanks to Chief Louis Moreto (Assessment Team Leader) and Commander Ben Kadolph (Assessment Team Member) for their dedication and professionalism during their evaluation and assessment of the Salisbury Police Department’s processes and policies,” she added.
CALEA President Anthony Purcell and Executive Director W. Craig Hartley, Jr. will present a formal award to the Salisbury Police Department, following the multi-year self-assessment phase and a meticulous site-based assessment of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA assessors. This is Salisbury Police Department’s 10th award of national accreditation. The Salisbury Police Department now moves into CALEA’s four-year Accreditation cycle that includes four annual, remote, web-based file reviews and a site-based assessment in the fourth year.
“Thank you to Chief Duncan, Accreditation Manager Sgt. Mike Loring, and the whole Salisbury Police Department for their commitment to upholding the standards of law enforcement set forth by CALEA,” shared City Administrator Julia Glanz. “As set forth in CALEA’s public safety standards, our City and our department continue to prioritize community policing and connecting directly with community members to prevent and control crime,” she added.
In 1979, the Commission was created through the combined efforts of four major law enforcement organizations; the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs’ Association and the Police Executive Research Forum.
The purpose of the Commission is to develop standards based on international best practices in public safety, and to establish and administer the accreditation process. The accreditation process is how a public safety agency voluntarily demonstrates how it meets professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery.
“This award of accreditation does not come easy,” said CALEA President Anthony Purcell, Chief of Police, University of Alabama at Birmingham Police Department. “Agencies must go through a rigorous review and evaluation of their organization and then implement the necessary policy and procedure changes. The process does not stop at that point. By voluntarily choosing to seek CALEA accreditation, the agency commits to an ongoing review of adherence to CALEA’s standards. Each community with CALEA accredited agencies should be feel confident that their public safety organization is going above and beyond and operating under the highest standards in public safety.”
Learn more about CALEA and the accreditation process at www.calea.org