CALEA
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) is an international credentialing authority that facilitates an agency’s pursuit of professional excellence. CALEA’s accreditation program is a completely voluntary way for agencies to demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards. Currently less than 5% of law enforcement agencies nationwide have attained this recognition of excellence. To put this into perspective, only 18 of the approximately 246 law enforcement agencies in Colorado have achieved this award.
The Pueblo Police Department achieved CALEA accreditation on March 25, 2017 at the Mobile, Alabama CALEA Conference. This achievement was a culmination of a three-year endeavor that required a careful evaluation of the department operations. During that three-year self- assessment phase, many policies and procedures were updated to raise our already solid department to CALEA’s benchmark level of a professional law enforcement agency.
In 2017 CALEA updated to a whole new standards manual and process for attaining reaccreditation. The Pueblo Police Department adopted this new manual immediately after their first accreditation and began the process of updating policies and procedures to bring us in line with the best practices in law enforcement across the nation.
CALEA’s new process entailed a four-year accreditation cycle with annual remote compliance checks. The Pueblo Police Department was scheduled to have its final, onsite, review in December of 2020, but due to the pandemic this review took place virtually. The department was awarded it’s first reaccreditation with no standards issues in March of 2021.
This accreditation means more to our department than a mere status symbol or plaque on the wall. This achievement has given our agency tangible benefits that include a well-thought-out, uniform set of written directives, reports and analyses that give department leaders the ability to make fact-based and informed management decisions, a preparedness program that enables us to be ready to address natural or man-made unusual occurrences, and accountability through transparency that improves our relationship with our community. The Pueblo Police Department continues to live by the letter and the spirit of CALEA’s rigorous standards and is preparing for its second reaccreditation in the spring of 2025.
The CALEA Accreditation & Policy Sergeant is responsible for the maintenance of the Department’s accredited status by the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police (state accreditation) and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (national accreditation).
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Pueblo Police Department’s accreditation efforts, contact CALEA Accreditation & Policy Sergeant Antoinette Ramos at 719-553-3321.