CPD's continued efforts meet gold standards, lead to accredidation

On Saturday, November 5th, 2016, Chief Tim Green and members of the Carmel Police Department attended an awards banquet in North Charleston, South Carolina to receive their re-accreditation award from the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).

CALEA is an international organization that recognizes outstanding achievement in law enforcement agencies. CALEA is comprised of representatives from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Executive Research Forum.

To earn accreditation, Carmel Police Department employees had to comply with 188 standards. A team of assessors from CALEA visited the Carmel Police Department in June of 2016 to examine policies, procedures, management, operations and support services.

CALEA published the original accreditation standards in 1983. Accreditation requires law enforcement agencies to establish procedures and operational practices based on nationally accepted standards. Once established, these policies and procedures are made available to assist all members of the agency in providing a uniform, consistent and professional law enforcement response to the needs of the community.

In 1996, Carmel Police Department was the sixth agency in Indiana to achieve accredited status. Today, there are more than 1000 accredited police agencies nationwide and this number continues to grow each year. This is the seventh accreditation award for the Carmel Police Department. Every three years agencies are required to be re-assessed to qualify for this prestigious award.

“I am pleased that our Police Department has once again qualified for re-accreditation from CALEA. As one of the first agencies in Indiana to be accredited, the Carmel Police Department has continued to challenge themselves to maintain the high standards required for re-accreditation. Our community benefits from this high level of service, which helps us attract businesses and residents who want a safe place to live, work and raise their families,” said Mayor Jim Brainard.

The primary cornerstones that comprise The CALEA Difference and distinguish CALEA from all other forms of public safety accreditation are professionalism, stewardship, integrity, diversity, independence, continuous improvement, objectivity, credibility, consistency, knowledge, experience, accountability and collaboration.