DPD Completes Accreditation Review
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024
The Dalton Police Department is one of just 29 municipal law enforcement agencies in Georgia to earn international accreditation from CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The DPD first earned that distinction more than a decade ago in 2013. This week, the department completed the last step in an exhaustive review to maintain that accreditation with an on-site inspection by a CALEA inspector. The department will learn if it is awarded re-accreditation later this year.
"In the state of Georgia, there are still only about 50 CALEA-accredited agencies," said Dalton Police Chief Cliff Cason. In addition to the 29 municipal agencies there are also 12 sheriff's offices, regional, and state departments with the accreditation. "That's a very small number when you consider there are more than 1,100 law enforcement agencies in the state. It definitely distinguishes us from many of our peers. It also helps reduce liability and costs for the City as well because insurance carriers look at it very favorably when they determine our liability coverage."
To earn accreditation, a law enforcement agency must adhere to 461 best practice standards set forth by CALEA. That means that departments must demonstrate that they have policies in place that are consistent with those standards and also produce files with incident reports and other evidence to show that the policies are being followed. When Dalton earned its first accreditation in 2013, agencies were re-evaluated on three-year cycles but that has since been changed to a four-year cycle. During the four years, CALEA assessors review approximately 100 of an agency's standards each year. During the final year of the cycle, an assessor visits the agency in person to inspect operations as a final step in the study. This week, Dan Mills has been in Dalton to perform the inspection of the department. He is a retired Chief of Police from Portage, Michigan. Once his report is completed, it will be reviewed by CALEA and the department will be informed of their decision later this summer.
"Mr. Mills spoke with or interviewed more than 50 people in the last two and a half days that he's been here, including officers and employees of the City of Dalton, community leaders, business owners, pastors, and residents," said Officer Grant Mantooth, the DPD's accreditation manager.
Caption: Chief Cliff Cason (left) and Officer Grant Mantooth (right) stand with CALEA assessor Dan Mills at the Police Services Center
The on-site inspection is the final step in the review process, but the department engages in an exhaustive self-review process throughout the four-year cycle in order to ensure not just that the department will maintain its accreditation status, but also more importantly that the department is doing things the right way. The main goal of maintaining accreditation is to be sure that the department is providing the best service possible for the people of Dalton.
"One of the biggest advantages of being CALEA-accredited is that it’s a governing body that assures that you’re adhering to best practices for law enforcement. So it makes sure that your policies are consistent with both federal law and the regulations that govern constitutional policing," said Chief Cason. "It’s a big advantage to have someone from outside that’s constantly looking and serving as a watch dog to make sure that you’re doing things the way they’re supposed to be done and documenting that fact."
"As far as the work involved, it's definitely a full-time job to supervise accreditation," Mantooth said. "With CALEA there are 461 standards that we have to show proof of meeting every single year. Some of those standards are simple, and some are more complex and have multiple items that I have to show that we are doing. Also, after every conference, CALEA usually has updates to the standards or new standards that we have to study because CALEA is always looking at ways to improve law enforcement.
If the DPD is awarded re-accreditation later this summer, it will be the fourth time that the department has earned the honor. The department was also accredited in 2013, 2016, and 2020. Dalton is also state-certified through the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.
