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CALEA Completes Assessment of Dover Police Department 12-17-14

Dover Police Department

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) wrapped up a six-day review of the Dover Police Department’s Policies and Procedures on Wednesday morning. 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.

Specifically, CALEA’s goals are to:

  • Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities;
  • Formalize essential management procedures;
  • Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices;
  • Improve service delivery;
  • Solidify inter-agency cooperation and coordination; and
  • Increase community and staff confidence in the agency.

The Accreditation Manager, Pfc. Krista Roosa, is tasked with the responsibility of maintaining and organizing the department’s General Orders, Procedural Notices and Directive Memoranda. The Section’s primary function is to maintain 480 standards which are mandated by CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement), and the 105 standards which are mandated by DPAC (Delaware Police Accreditation Commission) and to ensure that the police department remains in compliance with these standards. The Dover Police Department is one of only eight departments in the State of Delaware to hold the prestigious honor of National Accreditation. Jay Murphy, Lead Assessory for CALEA and former Chief of Cape Coral, FL Police Department, had this to say as the assessment ended: “Following six days of review that encompassed every aspect of the City of Dover police Department, we are please to say we are left with a favorable impression.  Our final report will be submitted to the full commission in the coming weeks.”

On March 24, 2012, the department was selected by the Commissioners of CALEA to receive the Accreditation with Excellence Award, which is the Gold Standard for Public Safety, and is a title that shall attach to the department’s CALEA Accreditation for a period of three years. The Dover Police Department is the first law enforcement agency in the state of Delaware to receive the “Accreditation with Excellence Award”.  In 2013, New Castle County police Department became the second Delaware department to receive this honor.  The final review will take several weeks to complete and upon completion the Dover Police Department hopes to be the first 2-time recipient of the “Accreditation with Excellence Award.”