Accreditation

Accreditation

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)

The Jacksonville Beach Police Department was formally awarded reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) on November 19, 2022.

This successful review means the Police Department will retain its status as a nationally accredited law enforcement agency for another four years. The accreditation review process provides an independent evaluation of the agency and its policies, procedures, programs and facilities to ensure that the department is complying with 363 internationally-recognized law enforcement performance standards. The Jacksonville Beach Police Department has been accredited CALEA since 1995.

The department has a full-time accreditation manager who is responsible for developing and maintaining accreditation standards and procedures, auditing compliance of the standards, drafting new written directives, and maintaining master and archive files.

The Benefits of CALEA Accreditation

CALEA accreditation strengthens the agency's accountability, both within the agency and the community, through standards that clearly define authority, performance and responsibilities. Accreditation is a means for developing and/or improving the agency's relationship with the community. Being accredited also limits the agency's liability and risk exposure as it demonstrates internationally recognized standards for law enforcement have been met, as verified by a team of independent outside CALEA-trained assessors.

The CALEA Process

A team of CALEA assessors conducted a virtual on-site review of the department as part of the reaccreditation process. The assessment team recommended approval for reaccreditation.  In addition to receiving reaccreditation, the agency received the Meritorious Accreditation Award (an agency accredited for 15 or more continuous years).

The Jacksonville Beach Police Department was among approximately 72 national law enforcement agencies that went before CALEA for either initial accreditation or reaccreditation. The next review of the agency will be in 2026.