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Accreditation
and the Summerville Police Department
The
Summerville Police Department was granted Accredited Status by the
SC Police Accreditation Coalition on December 10, 2007 at a ceremony
held at the SC Sheriff’s Association in Columbia, SC.
Lt James Bateman was
named to replace Captain Doris Asbell who retired in October 2007 as
the department’s Accreditation Manager.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation
program managed and directed by the governing council of South
Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc, (SCLEA) is based upon
the processes prescribed by the Commission on Accreditation for Law
Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) for national accreditation. The
standards parallel those of national accreditation, but with a South
Carolina flavor. Use of the national standards has been approved by
CALEA. The Program is designed to provide a basis from which a
participating agency may seek national accreditation, if desired
GOALS OF S.C.L.E.A.
•
Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities
•
Formalize essential management procedures
•
Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices
•
Improve service delivery
•
Boost
citizen and staff confidence in the agency
BENEFITS OF S.C.L.E.A.
•
Greater
Accountability Within the Agency
Accreditation
standards give the agency a proven management system of written
directives, sound training, and clearly defined lines of authority,
and routine reports that support decision-making.
•
Staunch Support
from Government Officials
Accreditation
provides objective evidence of an agency’s commitment to excellence
in leadership, resource management, and service delivery. Thus
government officials are more confident in the agency’s ability to
operate efficiently and meet community needs.
•
Stronger Defense
Against Lawsuits and Citizen Complaints
Accredited agencies
are better able to defend themselves against lawsuits and citizen
complaints. Many agencies report a decline in legal actions against
them once they become accredited.
·
Controlled
Liability Insurance Loss
Accredited status
makes it easier for agencies to purchase liability insurance; allows
agencies to increase the limit of their insurance coverage more
easily; and, in many cases, results in lower premiums.
•
Increased Community
Advocacy
Accreditation
embodies the precepts of community-oriented policing. It creates a
forum in which police and citizens work together to prevent and
control challenges confronting law enforcement and provides clear
direction about community expectation.
•
Improves Employee
Morale
Accreditation is a
coveted award that symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and
competence. It requires written directives and training to inform
employees about policies and practices; facilities and equipment to
ensure employees’ safety; and processes to safeguard employees’
rights. Employees take pride in their department, knowing it
represents the very best in law enforcement.
Achieving and
maintaining accreditation status is a process, which must include
the entire agency. Although relatively few police department
members are responsible for developing and reviewing department
policies, all employees can have input into the process.
Supervisors and affected personnel are asked for their input on
policy creation and updating. Additionally, any employee can make
suggestions at any time regarding written directives or operation of
the Summerville Police Department.
All members of the
Summerville Police Department, likewise, have responsibilities
regarding accreditation. All employees are responsible for being
familiar with written directives. Officers and supervisors with
areas of special responsibilities must be thoroughly familiar with
the accreditation standards, which cover their areas of
responsibility and ensure that we are complying with the standards.
Here are some
guidelines of responsibility for all Officers:
•
Be
familiar with policies and procedures, especially operational and
high liability policies;
•
Strive
to follow policies and procedures in good faith;
•
Notify
supervision of any problems or concerns regarding operations or
policies and procedures;
•
Be
familiar with the accreditation process and take pride in this
achievement.
The
Accreditation Process
The two main
components of accreditation are written directives and
proofs of compliance.
Written Directives:
Any written document used to guide or affect the performance or
conduct of agency employees. The term includes policies,
procedures, rules and regulations, general orders, special orders,
memorandums and instructional material.
Proofs of Compliance:
Documentation and other evidence that can be examined to determine
that practices are being implemented properly. These may include
but not limited to: reports, checklists, inventories, inspection
forms, CAD and RMS printouts and photographs. The Police Department
will be required to prove continued compliance with our policies and
procedures.
Time sensitive
standards are mandatory standards that have to be completed
according to the frequency required by the standard. These may be
reports, audits, analysis, inspections, reviews, inventories, tests
and surveys. It is essential that these documents be completed in
the time frequency required.
There are more than
460 standards. A file is generated documenting the controlling
directive and the proofs showing continued compliance. During an
onsite inspection, each of these files is reviewed to determine if
the directives and proofs of compliance are correct. Also during
the inspection, the assessors will tour the agency, conduct ride-a
longs, review a static display of equipment and hold a panel
review. The assessors will then report their finding to S.C.L.E.A.
for a determination on Accreditation or Re-accreditation.
The agency will undergo re-accreditation every three
years.
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