Round Lake, Illinois – On March 21, 2009, the Round Lake Police Department received law enforcement accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), a prestigious recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The Round Lake Police Department is one of only 46 municipal law enforcement agencies in the State of Illinois to be accredited.
The CALEA accreditation process is a proven modern management model; once implemented, it presents the Chief of Police, 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.
To receive law enforcement accreditation, the Round Lake Police Department had to comply with 381 internationally accepted standards for the operation of police organizations. In December 2008, a team of assessors from CALEA examined all aspects of the Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services to verify the agency met CALEA’s state-of-the-art standards.
In his report to the Commission, the assessment team leader, Chief Paul Verrecchia, commented, “…during the onsite process, it became obvious that under the leadership of Chief Cliff Metaxa, Deputy Chief Francis Foy and Director Michael Recupito, the department has made a positive transformation over the last three and one-half years. The Round Lake Police Department is an agency truly dedicated to serving the Village of Round Lake community. The assessment team found an agency comprised of men and women who are proud of their agency and the level of service offered to the community.”
According to Mayor Bill Gentes, “Four years ago our police department was fundamentally broken; today we are among the finest departments in the United States. All of Round Lake can be proud of the effort and commitment that we put into CALEA accreditation, and the results are already plain to see.”
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. 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 Sheriff’s Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). CALEA’s purpose was to establish a body of professional standards and to develop an accreditation process to administer its credentialing program.
Chief Cliff Metaxa states, “I am very proud of the men and women of the Round Lake Police Department. Achieving CALEA law enforcement accreditation means that the Round Lake Police Department has met the requirements of a highly regarded and broadly recognized body of law enforcement standards. We meet the same standards as such renowned law enforcement agencies as the Broward Sheriff’s Office, United States Capital Police, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Nashville Police Department, and Illinois State Police.
Our community can be proud of their police department and the fact that we are now an internationally accredited law enforcement agency.”
Labels: CALEA, Police Department
Today's mailbox will contain the Police Report. I am quite proud of my efforts to fix a badly broken police department. We are now CALEA certified and while the process ultimately took 3 years and cost around $30,000, the results have become apparent over the years and they are reflected in the declining crime rate statistics that the state police uses to track crime. I am proud to saying comparing the 2001 numbers when I took office to todays, we have a 55% drop in crime in the village.
