Jackson Police Department receives fifth straight CALEA accreditation

The Jackson Police Department was awarded its fifth straight accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA) after passing a comprehensive exam in October.

The department first gained CALEA accreditation in 2008, and was reaccredited in 2011, 2014 and 2017 prior to this year.

According to a news release, Jackson police chief James Humphreys and Cpl. Rick Whitaker, the department's accreditation manager, learned the department was granted reaccreditation by unanimous decision Friday.

"Reaccreditation occurs every four years, but it's a goal we work toward every day," Humphreys said in the release. "The process allows us to continually evaluate our policies and procedures against CALEA's high standards to ensure we're providing the level of service our community expects and deserves."

According to Whitaker, CALEA changed the number of years between reaccreditation from three to four.

"It's not easy," Whitaker said, "but it's something that we've felt is necessary to show the citizens of Jackson that they're getting the quality of law enforcement that they deserve and expect from us."

CALEA accreditation is a voluntary process recognizing compliance with a series of professional standards, and is widely accepted as the "gold standard in public safety." Nationally, just 5% of law enforcement agencies are accredited through CALEA, and Jackson is one of 43 accredited in Missouri.

"Our vision is to maintain the highest standards of excellence in all facets of policing," Humphreys said in the release. "The department strives to be considered by our community and our profession as one of the premier law enforcement agencies in the nation."

According to CALEA's website, CALEA was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations.