Asheville Police Chief David Zack is pleased to announce the department was awarded on Nov. 19 the national Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), marking the ninth time for the accreditation since 1994.
Dubbed “The Gold Standard in Public Safety,” the re-accreditation process occurs every four years and is awarded to a public safety agency recognized for maintaining a body of standards, establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.
“This is an incredible honor and reflects the dedication of the department to achieve the highest standards in public safety,” said Chief Zack. “I am also proud to say that APD is the only CALEA-accredited agency in Western North Carolina.”
The entire re-accreditation process is quite extensive and requires ongoing maintenance and implementation that is facilitated by Hannah Silberman, APD Accreditation Manager.
“Hannah’s commitment to constantly ensuring the department’s ongoing review, evaluation, and implementation of our policies has earned this continued success,” emphasized Chief Zack. “This re-evaluation is also a commitment to the citizens of Asheville of APD’s continuous demonstration of professional excellence in law enforcement.”
CALEA President Anthony Purcell, Chief of Police, University of Alabama at Birmingham Police Department, says the awarding of the accreditation does not come easy.
“Agencies must go through a rigorous review and evaluation of their organization and then implement the necessary policy and procedure changes. The process does not stop at that point. By voluntarily choosing to seek CALEA accreditation, the agency commits to an ongoing review of adherence to CALEA’s standards. “
To find out more about CALEA, go to https://www.calea.org .