CALEA Accreditation

By Sgt Mike Peterson

In 2005, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office affiliated itself with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, better known as CALEA.  CALEA was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority for law enforcement agencies.

The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs 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.  This accreditation program provides law enforcement agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards.

For over two years the employees of the Sheriff’s Office prepared for accreditation in self evaluation.  During this time a major policy re-write took place and systems were developed to prove compliance with over 450 standards and nearly 1000 lines of proof.  It was not surprising to learn that the employees already operated in a manner which was largely in compliance with CALEA standards.  The process as a whole has been very beneficial to the Sheriff’s Office, the employees, and the citizens we serve.

The Cache County Sheriff's Office is now a fully accredited law enforcement agency.  Assessors from CALEA conducted an on-site evaluation in August of 2007.  For one week, three assessors from different law enforcement agencies from around the county assessed our policies, employees, and systems to ensure they met CALEA standards.  The outcome of the assessment was a recommendation to the CALEA Commission that our agency receive full accredited status.  This status was bestowed upon the Cache County Sheriff's Office in November of 2007 in a meeting in Colorado Springs Colorado.  We as a Sheriff’s Office are proud of this status.  We are looking forward to continually living up to the CALEA standard.