Bensenville Police Receive Top Accreditation

BENSENVILLE, IL — After many months of preparation, the Bensenville Police Department was awarded with an accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. This accreditation is nationally recognized as a gold standard in public safety and recognizes the high level of policing offered by the police department, the village said in a news release.

“I commend the Bensenville Police Department for their hard work to earn this accreditation through CALEA. It is an honor for the department to achieve this accreditation and is another demonstration of the high level of professionalism provided by our officers,” Village President Frank DeSimone said in a news release.

During the weekend of Nov. 16, Chief Daniel Schulze, Deputy Chief Brian Dooley and Sgt. Juliann Wilson attended the CALEA Conference in Covington, Ky. Schulze testified in front of the Accreditation Review Committee on behalf of the department, resulting in approval for recommendation to the full commission. Later that evening, the full Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies awarded the Department Full Accreditation status for the next four years.

The village attained initial accreditation with the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program in 2015. Accreditation has become the primary method for a law enforcement agency to voluntarily demonstrate its commitment to excellence in law enforcement. The standards upon which the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program are based reflect the current thinking and experience of law enforcement practitioners and researchers.

CALEA law enforcement standards cover roles, responsibilities, and relationships with other agencies; organization, management, and administration; personnel administration; law enforcement operations, operational support, and traffic law enforcement; detainee and court-related services; and auxiliary and technical services.

The Bensenville Police Department stands among the few departments in the state of Illinois to attain dual accreditation demonstrating an ability to comply with the best practices of law enforcement at both a state and international level, according to the news release.