The Henderson Police Department has received its official award certificate from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
The receipt of this certificate in recognition of the HPD’s third CALEA accreditation also includes the agency’s designation as a “flagship” agency as noted at the CALEA Conference held in Atlanta, GA on March 13 to 15, 2008.
The HPD was one of only thirteen agencies out of 89 receiving accreditation that received “flagship” status. The Flagship Agency Program was introduced by CALEA in December of 2004 to acknowledge the achievement and expertise of some of the most successful CALEA accredited agencies as well as assist other agencies by providing “flagship” examples.
Flagship agencies are selected based on on-site assessment performances. The HPD was one of the agencies invited to exhibit at the 2008 Spring CALEA Conference to showcase its materials, offer networking opportunities, and to discuss issues and offer suggesting to other law enforcement agencies based on its experiences with CALEA accreditation.
The HPD initially received accreditation in March of 2002. Following a three year “self-assessment” period, the agency received its first reaccreditation in July of 2005. The most recent evaluation was received following a three year self-assessment period as well as an on-site review by three CALEA-certified assessors in a four day process that took place in December of 2007.
The receipt of the Award Certificate and “Flagship” status indicates that the HPD was recognized as one of the “Best of the Best” during the Spring 2008 CALEA Conference. According to Henderson Police Chief Keith Sidwell, it is an indication of the work ethic and professionalism of the department based on an extensive review made by professional assessors.
The department will now begin another three year self-assessment process with the next on-site inspection scheduled for December of 2010.