LAS CRUCES – The Las Cruces Police Department has earned accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, known as CALEA.
The department received official notification July 25 during CALEA’s summer conference in Omaha, Nebraska. The accreditation is valid for four years.
CALEA accreditation is considered a leading professional standard in public safety. LCPD said fewer than 5 percent of law enforcement agencies nationwide have achieved the designation.
Police Chief Jeremy Story said the recognition reflects the department’s commitment to professionalism, accountability and continuous improvement.
As part of the process, LCPD revised much of its policy manual and added policies intended to meet law-enforcement best practices. The process included off-site and on-site assessments, a hearing and review by CALEA’s Board of Commissioners. The board voted unanimously in favor of the department’s accreditation.
The department must demonstrate four consecutive years of continuous compliance to maintain the endorsement.
LCPD joins the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, Farmington Police Department, Los Alamos County Police Department and New Mexico State Police as New Mexico law-enforcement agencies accredited by CALEA.
CALEA was created in 1979 by four national law-enforcement associations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs’ Association and Police Executive Research Forum.
John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications News – John@bravomic.com
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