The Greenville Police Department recently completed a three-year re-accreditation process through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Accreditation through CALEA provides law enforcement agencies with an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards and processes for decision-making, as determined by a team of independent, unbiased (out-of-state), trained assessors. The standards address the following six major law enforcement areas and agencies are required to comply with those standards that are specifically applicable to them. Additionally, standards are categorized as mandatory or optional and agencies must comply with all applicable mandatory standards and at least 80% of all applicable optional standards. The Greenville Police Department complies with all applicable mandatory standards as well as 92% of all applicable optional standards.
1. Role, responsibilities and relationships with other agencies
2. Organization, management and administration
3. Personnel administration
4. Law enforcement operations, operational support and traffic law enforcement
5. Detainee and court-related services
6. Auxiliary and technical services
The Greenville Police Department has been accredited by CALEA since 1995 and this year, for the first time, the department elected to undergo the Gold Standard Assessment (GSA), a new methodology for assessing agencies introduced by CALEA in 2011 that focuses primarily on processes and outcomes associated with standards specific to agency policies. Rather than simply confirming compliance through file-by-file review, the GSA requires a more in-depth examination of the department, as well as interviews with community stakeholders, citizens and businesses from across the Upstate about the department’s performance over the last three years and its community involvement. In addition to the 484 standards required for compliance, the department also had the assessment team review its strategic plan, community policing program, body-worn camera project, recruitment and selection processes, disciplinary and mediation processes and community surveying process and results.
While CALEA will officially confer the Greenville Police Department’s accreditation status at the CALEA Conference in March 2018, the assessment team has already indicated that in addition to being re-accredited, the department will be further recognized with the CALEA Re-Accreditation with Excellence Award for the effective use of accreditation as a model for the delivery of enhanced public safety services and management professionalism.
“This accomplishment was made possible by the tireless work of both sworn and civilian employees of the Greenville Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Miller, and reflects the department’s continuous pursuit of professional excellence,” said City Manager John Castile. “The initiative taken by the Police Department to request an additional level of review by CALEA and its ability to meet and exceed such strict standards should inspire pride in our employees and confidence in our community that the Greenville Police Department represents the very best in law enforcement.”
“The Gold Standard Assessment affirms that in Greenville, we have a police department that is second to none,” added Mayor Knox White. “We are very proud of the dedicated men and women who work so diligently to protect our community every day.”