Jackson Police Department reaccredited; chief says 'it holds me accountable'

The Jackson Police Department has been reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA.

On Saturday, Jackson police chief James Humphreys, accreditation manager Capt. Rodney Barnes and Cpl. Rick Whitaker met with the CALEA Commission in Mobile, Alabama, to discuss reaccreditation.

First accredited in 2008, the Jackson Police Department strives to maintain high standards for its procedures and personnel, Humphreys said.

Humphreys said when he became chief in 2003, the department was in transition.

“I decided as chief, we have to find a way to bring this together,” he said.

Jackson Police Capt. Rodney Barnes, left, Chief James Humphreys and Cpl. Rick Whitaker pose for a photo Saturday after receiving reaccreditation for the department from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in Mobile, Alabama.Submitted

Humphreys said he was looking to improve accountability and credibility with the community, and he wanted to follow nationally accepted standards.

“CALEA was the answer,” he said. “You have a clear-cut set of standards to go by.”

The standards must be met, but Humphreys said the method to arrive at those standards largely is left up to the department.

Accreditation is voluntary, Humphreys said, and includes an assessment by CALEA examining all aspects of the department’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services.

Humphreys said accreditation also provides a clear-cut chain of command, formalized management practices and consistency.

“CALEA comes in and audits once a year,” he said. “We’re held to 188 standards. That means we have a policy book about a foot thick, trying to cover everything we can.

“Great thing about it is, it holds me accountable at the top just as much as the guy at the very bottom of the chain.”

Jackson’s procedures manual covers all major time-sensitive standards, Humphreys said, as well as high-liability issues, including use of force, pursuits, arrests and others.

“You have to make sure you’re doing or not doing what you need to,” Humphreys said.

“A whole chapter addresses how to handle any type of critical event, like a shooter or a natural disaster,” he said.

An initial accreditation fee was paid in 2008, Humphreys said, and dues are $4,500 each year thereafter.

“That takes care of the annual on-site audit CALEA does,” he said, and covers associated costs for the auditors’ visit.

Overall, Humphreys said, accreditation is a great system.

“It means we’re doing everything we can,” he said. “We aren’t perfect. We’re human. We’re still going to make mistakes, but this ensures a great way of addressing issues that come up.”

Nationwide, only 5 percent of law-enforcement agencies are accredited through CALEA, said the commission’s regional program manager, Tim Baysinger.

In Missouri, Jackson is one of 19 police departments accredited at the law-enforcement level, Baysinger said.

Other accreditation programs include 911 dispatch centers and security-force accreditation, of which there are several in the state, Baysinger said.

Poplar Bluff and the Missouri State Highway Patrol also are accredited through CALEA, Baysinger said.

Fourteen other departments in the state are working on becoming accredited, which he sees as a positive development.

Of Jackson’s police department, Baysinger said, “This is their third time through. I worked with them on the first couple times, getting ready. They’re pretty squared away. Chief Humphreys and his crew are trying to be as professional as possible, and CALEA’s one mechanism they use.”

Baysinger said the accreditation process is rigorous.

“Not only do departments adapt policies, they also have to have procedures in place, and they have to show they have policies that meet our standards,” he said. “In addition to showing, they have to prove it, have to actually live it. That’s the most important part.”

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

525 S. Hope St., Jackson, Mo.