New Albany Police Department Earns National CALEA Accreditation

After three years of work, the New Albany Police Department earned national accreditation

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After three years of work, the New Albany Police Department earned national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Created in 1979, CALEA is a credentialing authority created through the joint efforts of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) and Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to:

  • Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities
  • Formalize essential management procedures
  • Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices
  • Improve service delivery
  • Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination
  • Increase community and staff confidence

I am humbled by our staff’s work in these past three years to earn accreditation. I especially want to thank Officer Joe Catanese, who oversaw our efforts from the beginning. CALEA accreditation is considered the gold standard for police agencies, certifying the institution of best practices locally to meet a national standard of excellence.

CALEA’s three-year process included a self-assessment step where policies and operations were brought into compliance with CALEA’s proven standards. At the end of the self-assessment, the department participated in two mock assessments before beginning the CALEA web-based assessment and the on-site assessment. CALEA found the New Albany Police Department to be in full compliance of all 155 applicable standards covering every aspect of its public safety mission. The final step in the process was at CALEA’s national conference in November, where I and Officer Catanese participated in a public review hearing to discuss the findings of the assessment.

The New Albany Police Department is now fewer than 70 law enforcement agencies out of healthy new approximately 1,000 in Ohio to earn CALEA accreditation.

This accreditation shows our residents and business partners how committed the New Albany Police Department is to meet a national standard of excellence and is a reflection of the professional work our staff performs every day. Our officers, communications technicians and civilian staff understand that today, more than ever, we must strive to build upon our values of professionalism, integrity, respect and compassion while protecting our community. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve each of you.

Greg Jones is the Police Chief of the City of New Albany. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.