Accreditation and Policy Development

The Accreditation and Policy Development functions are components of the Planning, Research and Accreditation Division.

These two areas are responsible for development and issuance of department policies and orders and ensuring compliance with 480 standards of excellence set forth by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

CALEA is the only organization that accredits law enforcement agencies on an international basis. CALEA is comprised of Commissioners from law enforcement and private industry, and develops its standards based on worldwide "best practices".

On November 19, 1994, the Scottsdale Police Department became the 317th law enforcement agency in North America to achieve international accreditation through CALEA. This prestigious status was valid for three years, after which, the department underwent successful re-accreditation assessments in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009.

The 2012 on-site assessment for CALEA re-accreditation has concluded and once again the Scottsdale Police Department had an outstanding showing.  The Assessment ran from Monday April 2nd to Thursday April 5th. We once again impressed the Assessors with our professionalism, facilities, equipment,  training and our relationship with our community.  From the moment they arrived, the Assessors were busy touring, interviewing, and riding along with patrol.  They fielded comments from citizens and business leaders through an open public forum on Monday and a dedicated phone line.  They also conducted four specific focus groups targeting business leaders, neighborhood groups, governmental partners, and school representatives.  They visited most of our facilities, talked with dozens of staff members, visited a SWAT training exercise, and attended Chief’s Staff including IA staff and Strategy Review.

The Assessors gave high praise to our staff, leadership and culture. The next step will be to review the final report and then attend the CALEA Conference in Scottsdale in July to answer any questions from the CALEA Commissioners.  A panel of four Commissioners will review the report from the Assessors, ask questions for clarification, and make a recommendation to the full Commission.  On Saturday, July 21’st, the full Commission will vote and our re-accreditation status will be finalized.

This 2012 re-accreditation will mark a highlight for the Scottsdale Police Department as we will have achieved Advanced Accreditation with Excellence under a Gold Standard assessment process.  We have not achieved this level of accreditation before and it is a great accomplishment that validates our excellent work and our professional staff.

 

2012 Assessors and Accred Staff

 

(Front L to R) - Director Will Davis, Assessor James Carmody, Assessor David Dishong, Assistant Chief Helen Gandara
(Back L to R) - Vicki Coe, Teri Wardell,  Marie Wood, Karen Nygaard, Lance Davidson, Debi Allemang, (not in picture - Connie Wyckoff)

 

Contact:

Will Davis
Planning, Research and Accreditation Director
Phone: 480-312-1970
E-mail:  willdavis@scottsdaleaz.gov

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