CALEA Accreditation

Today, out of approximately 17,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, only a small percentage have attained the prestigious CALEA accreditation award, among them, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department. Accreditation provides recognition for a police department's willingness to better itself to become the most productive and most effective law enforcement agency it can be. Since 1983, CALEA has been enlisting a growing number of agencies in the voluntary accreditation process that ensures a standard of excellence, while helping law enforcement agencies attain professional status.

Additionally, CMHA is the only public housing police force in the nation to achieve reaccreditation for a fourth time. Reaccreditation is much more than an honor. It is a testament to the rigorous standards CMHA expects its police force to meet.

Twenty years ago, the Police Executive Research Forum, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriffs' Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police joined forces to develop a set of professional standards for all types of law enforcement entities in the United States and other countries nationwide. Collectively known as the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the organization has currently developed over 400 state-of-the-art standards and is responsible for administering the accreditation process.

More information on CALEA is available at: http://www.calea.org.