The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
CALEA – Law Enforcement Accreditation
In 2012, The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office embarked on a project to pursue a law enforcement accreditation in conjunction with a program sponsored by the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police (NJSCOP) and The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA.)
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office along with the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department successfully accomplished the task in 2013 and became the fifth county in New Jersey where both the Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Department hold joint accreditation status.
The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Program is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily, by: maintaining a body of standards developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives, establishing and administering an accreditation process and recognizing professional excellence.
Accreditation is for a period of three years and the agencies are constantly tasked with providing proof of compliance. The program brings several significant benefits and it is a valuable management strategy for improvement. It enhances public safety services by comparing the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to the best procedures currently used by law enforcement and assures any non-compliant areas are up to those standards.
The standards consist of six major law enforcement areas: role, 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.
Additionally the program creates greater accountability within the agency by applying a proven management system of written directives, sound training, clearly defined lines of authority and routine reports that support decision-making and resource allocation.
For more information, visit New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, CALEA.