After Rigorous Process, Branford Police Awarded National Accreditation

BRANFORD, CT — National accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies is a demanding and exacting process. Rigorous is a good word to describe the many months of painstaking assessments, both self and independent, and review of the Branford Police Department's policies, practices, and processes. To be awarded CALEA accreditation is a very big deal for police departments. Of Connecticut's 94 municipal departments, just 3o were accredited. That is, until last week, when Branford became the 31st.

In addition to the assessments and review, public feedback is received to promote community trust and engagement. Structured interviews are conducted with select agency personnel and others with knowledge to assess the agency’s effectiveness and overall service delivery capacities. The decision to accredit is rendered by a governing body of 21 commissioners following a public hearing and review of all reporting documentation.

For the Branford Police Department, it fell to Accreditation Manager, police Lt. Corrianne Carangelo, to represent the agency at the CALEA Conference in Oklahoma City.

Through an interview with CALEA Commissioners, Carangelo "presented this agency’s hard work, continued compliance, and successes over the past three years," police noted.

On July 29, the Commission voted in favor of awarding Branford police official accreditation.

Why become CALEA accredited?

Some benefits of participation in CALEA Accreditation, accoridng to police, include but are not limited to:

• Greater Accountability within the Agency-CALEA Standards give the CEO a proven management system of written directives, sound training, clearly defined lines of authority, and routine reports that support decision-making and resource allocation.
• Increased Community Advocacy-Accreditation embodies the precepts of community-oriented policy. It creates a forum in which law enforcement agencies and citizens work together to prevent and control challenges confronting law enforcement, and provides clear direction about community expectations.

The purpose of the CALEA accreditation process is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of professional standards, developed by public safety practitioners, which cover a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.

"As part of this voluntary accreditation process, the Branford Police Department has remained committed to operating at the highest level of law enforcement standards," police wrote in a social media post announcing the accomplishment. "We will continue to ensure accountability within the agency, improve the delivery of public safety services, enhance crime prevention, formalize essential management procedures, establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices, and increase community confidence in the agency."

"We are very proud of this accomplishment and are committed to continuing national accreditation and providing the best service to our great community," police posted to Facebook.