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The Albemarle Police Department was recently awarded national accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Dulin said APD would normally travel to another state to receive the award, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, he, Assistant Chief Jesse D. Huneycutt and Sgt. D. Bryan Springer attended the CALEA conference via Zoom. It was through Zoom that CALEA Commission voted to approve reaccreditation of the Police Department. 

The conference followed a multi-year self-assessment phase and a site-based assessment of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA assessors. A total of 484 standards were met in this site-based assessment.

Each agency being reviewed goes before CALEA’s 21-member Board of Commissioners where the commission reviews all findings and determines the agencies’ accreditation status, Dulin wrote in a letter to City Manager Michael Ferris. 

This is the APD’s 11th award of national accreditation, nine of which have been associated with CALEA. The department was first accredited in 1995.

“The CALEA Accreditation process has allowed members of the Albemarle Police Department to keep up with the ever-changing field of law enforcement, utilizing best practices to better serve the citizens of Albemarle,” Dulin said. 

The purpose of the Commission is to develop standards based on international best practices in public safety, and to establish and administer the accreditation process. The accreditation process is how a public safety agency voluntarily demonstrates how it meets professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery.

In a July 31 letter to Dulin from CALEA’s executive director W. Craig Hartley Jr., he congratulated APD “for demonstrating a commitment to professional excellence through accreditation.”

The benefits of accreditation makes it easier for departments to purchase liability insurance and defend themselves against lawsuits, increases community advocacy and improves employee morale.

Dulin and Huneycutt spoke before council on Tuesday night about receiving the accreditation.

“Thank you, chief, and thank all of your department members for all of the hard work it took to maintain that accreditation and get another award,” Mayor Ronnie Michael said.