Dover Police Earns Re-Accreditation from CALEA 3-24-15

The Dover Police Department is pleased to announce that it has obtained re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®).   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. The body of standards were developed using source materials voluntarily submitted by pre-existing state programs and by many state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Those standards were based on case law, state statutes, administrative mandates, model policies and professional management materials. There are a total of 479 standards.

Benefits of Accreditation

-Improves officer and public safety
-Addresses high risk management Issues
-Promotes operational efficiency through policy development
-Provides a norm for the agency to judge its performance
-Provides a basis to correct deficiencies before they become public problems
-Requires agencies to commit policies and procedures to writing
-Promotes accountability
-Verifies compliance
-Provides a means of independent evaluation of agency operations
-Minimizes an agency’s exposure to liability
-Potentially reduces liability insurance costs
-Enhances the reputation of the agency, thereby attracting the best qualified candidates for employment
-Increases public confidence