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Roanoke Police Department
Accreditation
 The concept of accreditation dates back to 1787. It was first designed in New York to enhance the educational process at the college level. Since then, the process has changed to incorporate many different disciplines and professions.
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies(CALEA) was formed in 1979 and began operation in 1983. The commission was formed by four organizations:
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
National Sheriffs Association (NSA)
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)
The Commission is composed of 21 members, of which eleven are law enforcement professionals. The other ten are professionals from the private sector. The goals of the Commission are:
1. Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities.
2. Formalize essential management procedures.
3. Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices.
4. Improve service delivery.
5. Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination.
6. Boost citizen and staff confidence in the agency.
Benefits from being accredited by CALEA include:
Accountability within the agency
Services provided are defined
Uniformity in service delivery
Promotes efficient and effective administration and deployment of personnel.
Provides stronger defense against lawsuits
Improves employee morale.
The Roanoke Police Department began studying the accreditation process in 1985. Application to CALEA was submitted in February 1989 when work began on a part-time basis. In August 1992, a full-time accreditation team was formed, consisting of four sworn officers. Due to the size of the department, 825 standards were required to be met. An on-site assessment was conducted by CALEA from May 22-26, 1994. During the on-site assessment, every aspect of the department was examined and scrutinized. Included were the operations of all units and bureaus along with our policies and procedures. The department received an Accreditation Status on July 30,1994, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The RoanokePolice Department was the 311th agency to be nationally accredited.
The third edition of the Standards Manual became effective in April, 1994. The department was re-accredited under the Third Edition standards in 1999, requiring the completion of 436 standards and another on-site assessment. CALEA has again revised it's standards with the 4th edition.
In 2002, the Roanoke Police Department underwent the process of re-accreditation. An on-site assessment was conducted in April. Three assessors came to Roanoke and spent four days reviewing policy and procedures to ensure compliance.
On July 24 - 28, 2002, members of the Roanoke Police Department went before the commission for a question and answer session for the second part of the re-accreditation process. At ceremony on July 28, 2002, the commission announced the department was re-accredted. The Commission made mention they were extremely impressed with several initiatives in which the department was involved, including training (allowing officers to choose their training interest), school programs (DARE, School Based Partnership) and accident reduction efforts. During the on-site assessment, held earlier in 2002, the department was in compliance with all standards. The Commission also complimented the department on the 100% compliance of optional standards. Chief Gaskins advised from Cleveland "we have completed a very successful re-accreditation process.”
The Roanoke Police Department received national re-accreditation again on July 26, 2008. An on-site assessment was held in April 2008 in which a team of three assessors from CALEAŽ examined all aspects of the Roanoke Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services. The assessment team had no applied discretions (policy changes or physical plant modifications), no file maintenance issues, and no non-compliance issues. The three assessors were extremely complimentary of everything they received policy and personnel related. In the team’s final report Chief James E. Carmody, the team leader, said, “Having used nearly every superlative and adjective to describe how well prepared this agency was for its on-site assessment, the Team can simply say this; assessing an agency the caliber of the Roanoke Police Department was truly an honor and a privilege.” Chief A.L. Gaskins went before the Commission on July 26 for a final hearing, after which the department was awarded national re-accreditation. During the hearing the Commission described the Roanoke Police Department as stellar.
Less than 5% of the national law enforcement agencies are accredited. The top four states with accredited agencies are Florida, Ohio, Illinois, and Virginia. Accreditation has also become an international interest. Canada, China, England, Barbados and Columbia are just some of the countries attending national meetings for accreditation.
Click here for more information on CALEA.
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