History of Picayune's Accreditation

A contract with the Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation was officially signed in July 2004. The Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation gives agencies three years to complete the process. We were able to achieve the certification in about two years. In August of 2006, a team of trained assessors, assigned by the Commission, from other agencies through out the United States assessed the Picayune Police Department and made their recommendation to the Commission.

On November 18, 2006 Chief Luke and I attended the Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation conference in Reno Nevada. A hearing was held before a committee made up of members of the Commission to answer questions the commissioners may have had. This committee was made up of New Mexico’s Secretary of State, the Director of Criminal Justice Program at Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio and Chief of Police at Garden Grove, California. Later on that day Chief Luke accepted the Accreditation Certification for the Picayune Police Department.

The Police Department is very involved in the accreditation on a national level. Currently there is one member of the department that is a CALEA certified assessor. This person has the opportunity to assess other agencies around the country on behalf of CALEA. The Picayune Police Department also received accreditation from the State of Mississippi Certification Program May 16, 2007.

What is Accreditation?

The Picayune Police Department is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). The Law Enforcement Accreditation program was originally developed to address what was seen as a need to enhance law enforcement as a profession and to improve law enforcement.

Accreditation is a coveted award that symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and competence. Achieving this level of excellence made us only the third Nationally Accredited municipal agency in the state of Mississippi. Through the accreditation process, the Picayune Police Department maintains external independent verification of its policing excellence. Employees of the Picayune Police Department take pride in their police services, knowing it represents the very best in law enforcement.

The accreditation and re-accreditation process is demanding and extremely detailed. The department must have policies in place that meet the highest standards of modern law enforcement. The department must also demonstrate and show proof that it adheres to those policies.  The Commission gives the agencies three years before reaccredidation.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement was created in 1979 through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations: International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriff’s Association, and Police Executive Research Forum. Law Enforcement agencies can demonstrate voluntarily that they meet professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery.

The accreditation process involves a comprehensive self-assessment by the department of the 463 standards developed by CALEA. The standards address management decisions, preparedness programs, relationship with the community, accountability, liability and risk exposure and professional excellence. The benefits to the agency and community are: greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, staunch support from government officials and increased community advocacy. There are five phases in the accreditation processes; Application, Self-assessment, On-site assessment, Commission Review and Maintaining Compliance and Reaccredidation.