Mexico City, November 7, 2018 – Today the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) inaugurated its first accreditation meeting in Mexico with the support of the Merida Initiative.
The U.S. Embassy, through the Police Foundation, supports the accreditation of Mexican law enforcement agencies by CALEA. There are currently 26 state law enforcement agencies, six municipalities, and three federal agencies pursuing CALEA accreditation in Mexico, including state police departments, training academies, and communication centers. Law enforcement agencies achieve accreditation following a multi-year self-assessment phase and a meticulous site-based assessment of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA assessors. Each agency goes before CALEA’s Board of Commissioners, which reviews all findings and determines the agencies’ accreditation status.
On Friday, November 9, six Mexican state law enforcement agencies will present at hearings in order to earn CALEA accreditation: the state police and communications center of Queretaro, the state police and training academy of Sonora, the training academy of Tabasco, and the municipal police of Metepec, Estado de Mexico. CALEA Executive Director W. Craig Hartley Jr. will award accreditation to those agencies approved by the commission, signifying excellence in public safety and commitment to community.
At the conference, Tobin Bradley, director of the Merida Initiative office at the US embassy in Mexico noted, “Accreditation increases public trust in institutions; it gives citizens confidence that their complaints will be heard, that their police forces will do what they should, and if they don’t – that they will be held accountable.”
CALEA’s Executive Director W. Craig Hartley, Jr. added, “The process of CALEA accreditation is a proven model for success in public safety. CALEA’s partnership with the National Police Foundation and the United States Department of State serves to further assist public safety leaders and practitioners in Mexico to achieve continuous organizational improvement.”
Background
The Merida Initiative is a bilateral security cooperation agreement between Mexico and the United States of America. Through nearly ten years of implementation, the Merida Initiative has led to greater cooperation between the United States and Mexico. It provides tangible support to Mexico’s law enforcement and judicial institutions, strengthens border security, and helps to counteract the activities of transnational criminal organizations and the illegal trade in narcotics. To date, through the Mérida Initiative the United States has delivered USD 1.8 billion in equipment, training, and capacity building assistance to the government of Mexico.
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®) was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA); and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.
Specifically, CALEA’s goals are to: Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities; Formalize essential management procedures; Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices; Improve service delivery; Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination; and Increase community and staff confidence in the agency.
The CALEA Accreditation Process is a proven modern management model; once implemented, it presents the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), on a continuing basis, with a blueprint that promotes the efficient use of resources and improves service delivery—regardless of the size, geographic location, or functional responsibilities of the agency.
This accreditation program provides public safety agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards based on industry best practices and approved by an all-volunteer board of commissioners.
For further information on CALEA, please contact:
CALEA
- Travis Parrish
- Tel: +1 703 352 4225 x39
- [email protected]
The Police Foundation is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science. For over 45 years, the Foundation has conducted research on all aspects of policing and has led the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement. For more information on the Police Foundation, please visit www.policefoundation.org
