Accreditation

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The Columbus Division of Police is an internationally accredited law enforcement agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), the most comprehensive international accrediting body for public safety organizations. The Columbus Division of Police has been a continually accredited law enforcement agency since 1999.

Quick Facts

  • Only 764 out of over 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the US are CALEA accredited.
  • Only 60 out of over 850 law enforcement agencies in Ohio are CALEA accredited.
  • The Columbus Division of Police is the 8th largest CALEA-accredited municipal law enforcement agency in the US and the 2nd largest CALEA-accredited municipal law enforcement agency in the Midwest.

About CALEA

CALEA was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

CALEA's Law Enforcement Accreditation Program is a voluntary, internally-driven process by which law enforcement agencies seek to achieve, objectively verify, and maintain high quality in their operations through annual reviews, mandatory reporting, and off-site and on-site assessments. Only eligible law enforcement agencies may participate in the CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Program or the CALEA Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. CALEA specifically designed the Advanced Law Enforcement Program for elite organizations striving to demonstrate professional excellence within a comprehensive range of operational and administrative functional responsibilities.

Columbus Division of Police's CALEA Accreditation History

  • July 1999 - Initial Accreditation Award
  • July 2002 - Second Award
  • July 2005 - Third Award
  • July 2008 - Fourth Award
  • July 2011 - Fifth Award, Initial Advanced Accreditation Award with Excellence
  • July 2014 - Sixth Award, First Advanced Reaccreditation Award with Excellence
  • July 2017 - Seventh Award, Second Advanced Reaccreditation Award with Excellence
  • July 2021 - Eighth Award, Third Advanced Reaccreditation Award

CALEA Accreditation Public Comment Portal

Accreditation Public Comment Portal

The purpose of this public portal is for CALEA to receive comments directly regarding the Columbus Division of Police's compliance with CALEA standards and overall candidacy for accredited status. The overall intent of the CALEA accreditation process is to provide the participating agency with information to support continuous improvement and foster the pursuit of professional excellence.

Important: CALEA is not an investigatory body. There will be no response to submissions other than an acknowledgment; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA Accreditation.

For more information about CALEA, visit https://calea.org/

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