FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 5, 2016
Contact: Chief Jon Gale
Norton Shores Police Receive International Accreditation
On April 2, 2016, the Norton Shores Police Department was awarded its eighth consecutive Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). The Department is one of only ten accredited law enforcement agencies in the State of Michigan and has been accredited since March 1993.
The Commission was established as an independent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major law enforcement executive associations: the International Association of Chiefs of Police; the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives; the National Sheriffs’ Association; and the Police Executive Research Forum. The Commission has 21 members – 11 of whom represent public safety agencies and 10 from the public and private sectors. The Commission was established for two reasons: to develop a set of law enforcement standards, and to establish and administer an accreditation process through which law enforcement agencies could demonstrate voluntarily that they meet professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery. Over 900 public safety agencies throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Barbados, and Bermuda are enrolled in some stage of the CALEA process.
In a letter from Commission Chair Richard Myers and Executive Director W. Craig Hartley, Jr., stated the Department’s reaccreditation “represents the culmination of Norton Shores Police Department’s self-evaluation, concluded by a review from independent assessors and CALEA’s Commissioners.” The independent assessment was conducted November 30, 2015 through December 2, 2015.
The assessment report was reviewed by the Commission during a hearing with agency representatives on Saturday, April 2, 2016. The Commission unanimously approved the assessment team’s recommendation to award the Department with reaccredited status, commending the Department for demonstrating a commitment to professional law enforcement.
The Department’s accredited status is in effect for a period of four years, with the next independent assessment anticipated to be conducted in December 2019.
