CALEA Accreditation

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

What is CALEA?

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of major law enforcement executive associations throughout the country. The primary purpose of CALEA is to improve the delivery of public safety services by maintaining a comprehensive body of law enforcement standards, establishing and administering an accreditation process, and recognizing professional excellence.

The CALEA accreditation program provides law enforcement agencies with an opportunity to demonstrate compliance with an established set of professional standards on a voluntary basis, and includes an external, objective evaluation of departmental

operations. With over 800 participating agencies, CALEA benefits from the collective experience of thousands of law enforcement managers and executives across the nation, and acts as a blueprint for better law enforcement institutions that are efficient, well-equipped, and responsive to the communities they serve.

Additional information on CALEA and the accreditation process, including the list of standards, is available on the CALEA website at: www.calea.org .

Departmental Participation

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) continues to pursue methods of improving efficiency and preserving our position as a recognized leader in law enforcement and emergency incident management. The CALEA accreditation program offers the opportunity to enhance our reputation and the public's confidence in our personnel and operations. Participation in this program ensures that our policies and procedures are defensible and in compliance with internationally-accepted standards for law enforcement excellence.

Accreditation

In addition to general law enforcement, CALEA offers accreditation programs specific to training academies and communications agencies. On November 20, 2010, the CHP received its initial accreditation under the CALEA Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. Upon receiving this honor, the CHP became the largest CALEA-accredited law enforcement agency in the nation.

On November 16, 2013, the CHP Academy was formally recognized as an accredited Public Safety Training Academy by CALEA, becoming the first accredited state police training academy in the nation. Additionally, the Department succeeded in its bid for Advanced Law Enforcement reaccreditation, and remains the largest accredited law enforcement agency in the nation. (Reaccreditation occurs every four years.)

On November 22, 2014, the CHP communications centers were formally accredited by CALEA under the Public Safety Communications Agencies Accreditation Program. Having received this honor, the CHP became the first accredited state highway patrol in the nation to receive communications accreditation.

Having received accreditation status for its communications centers, the CHP became one of only two agencies in California to receive the CALEA TRI-ARC award, which is given to agencies having concurrent CALEA accreditation for their law enforcement, public safety communications and public safety training Academy. The CHP is one of nearly 20 agencies to have received this prestigious award, which provides confirmation of our professional excellence and adherence to sound policies and procedures.

Publications

2019 Annual Internal Investigations Summary (PDF)

https://www.chp.ca.gov/CommissionerSite/Documents/2019_CALEA_52.1.5_Stats_Report.pdf