National Accreditation

The Bethel Police Department is a Nationally Accredited Police Department. National Accreditation was originally formed in 1979 by CALEA (the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.) to establish professional law enforcement standards. It is a voluntary program, which is overseen by CALEA and the four agencies that originally formed CALEA. Those agencies that originally formed CALEA are: NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives); PERF (Police Executive Research Forum); NSA (National Sheriff's Association) and the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police). In addition, these organizations appoint members to the Commission. This Commission consists of 11 law enforcement professionals and 10 representatives of the public and private sectors.

Accreditation Process
The accreditation process consists of maintaining compliance with professionally recognized law enforcement standards. The Accreditation Manager who oversees, directs, and manages the over 460 standards on a day to day basis conducts this process.
Accredited Agencies in Connecticut
There are presently eighteen recognized Accredited Police Departments / Academies in the State of Connecticut and they are: Enfield Police Department; Avon Police Department; Granby Police Department; Norwalk Police Department; Wethersfield Police Department; Berlin Police Department; Glastonbury Police Department; Capital Police; Judicial Marshals; Connecticut State Police; New Canaan Police Department; Manchester Police Department; University of Connecticut Police Department; Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council; Guilford Police Department; Bethel Police Department; Branford Police Department and the Farmington Police Department.

Benefits of Accreditation
There are several benefits of accreditation, which are outlined below:
Controlling liability insurance costs
Preparing stronger defenses against lawsuits and citizen complaints
Providing an increase in community advocacy
Increasing town government awareness as to how the police department is being managed
Symbolizes professionalism, excellence and competence within an agency
Accreditation ensures policies and procedures are in place to guide employees and protect citizens. It also ensures a complete audit of the Department every three years .