Woodstock Police Department Achieves National Accreditation

WOODSTOCK, GA -- After years of working towards the goal of becoming a nationally accredited law enforcement agency, the Woodstock Police Department's long-running dream is now reality. Police Chief Calvin Moss announced at the Nov. 27 City Council meeting that the department received accreditation from CALEA.

CALEA, or the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, awarded the department the prestigious designation Nov. 18 at its conference held in Jacksonville, Florida. The award "demonstrates the department’s commitment to professional excellence in policy and practice," the city said Tuesday.

"Our mission is to pursue professional excellence and we are committed to doing just that," Moss said. “This honor represents the best in class service our team strives to provide to Woodstock, its citizens, business owners, and guests."

The accreditation process involves agencies meeting or exceeding 177 standards, the culmination of self-evaluations, and was concluded by a review from independent assessors held in June of this year as well as a review by CALEA commissioners.

The Woodstock Police Department joins about 20 percent of law enforcement agencies of a similar size that have nationally accredited by CALEA. Its among just 5 percent of law enforcement in Georgia that are both state and nationally certified agencies. The Woodstock Police Department was previously accredited by CALEA from 2001 to 2004.

City Manager Jeff Moon said he's proud of the work that the men and women of the police department did to obtain this goal.

"Going through the accreditation process is one of the best benefits of being accredited," he added. "It requires you to look at every facet of the department’s operations, including making sure that all of your policies and procedures are up to date and being followed. To the public, national accreditation means that the department takes professionalism seriously and has the policies and procedures in place to bring about that result."

Established in 1979 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriffs' Association and the Police Executive Research Forum, CALEA is recognized internationally as the key credentialing authority for law enforcement agencies.

It works to improve the delivery of public safety services by maintaining a credible and best-in-class body of standards. Through a collaborative effort, CALEA provides public safety agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards and processes for decision-making. The level of compliance is verified by a team of independent out-of-state CALEA-trained assessors. For more information, visit www.calea.org.

Images via Woodstock Police Department