Dover Police Department Obtains Advanced CALEA Accreditation

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®). following a November 2021 inspection.  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 484 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

Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Benefits