Police

Accreditation

The Greenville Police Department became the 370th nationally accredited law enforcement agency in the United States and Canada when it was awarded accredited status on November 18, 1995, following an intensive three-year period of self-assessment and a concluding inspection by a peer review board. Approximately 3% of the agencies in the United States have met the requirements of accreditation that are set by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. (CALEA)

CALEA was created through the combined efforts of four major law enforcement organizations: the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriff’s Association, and Police Executive Research Forum. These organizations continue to serve in an advisory capacity to the Commission and are responsible for appointing members of the Commission’s Board. The Commission was formed 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.

The period of accredited status for the Greenville Police Department is three years. During this time, our agency must submit annual reports that document continuing compliance with applicable standards. Our agency has received reaccreditation and will continue the self-assessment process by submitting the agency for another onsite inspection every 3 years. The achievement of accreditation for the Department has resulted in improvements in structure, leadership, organization, general direction, and accountability. The process of intensive self assessment has united the Department in its commitment to serve the public through well written policies and procedures, objective management, and conscious recognition of the need for law enforcement professionalism.