Liberal PD Strives for Accreditation

The Liberal Police Department has just entered into the initial phase of accreditation through the nationally recognized Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA).
Accreditation, for those that are unfamiliar, consists of standard guidelines and policies that have been approved by major executive associations in law enforcement as best practices. These guidelines provide the backbone for the agency’s commitment to continuous development toward the delivery of public safety.
The opportunity to have uniformed methods and policies that are approved through the accreditation is valuable for the daily activities within the department. With the accreditation guidelines in place the benefits for the department includes overall improved effectiveness, decreased liability, better grant opportunities and demonstrates to the community that the PD operates under a careful multiyear plan to consistently improve services.
After the department receives CALEA accreditation, which will take two years to complete the process, the department will join numerous other CALEA accredited police departments in Kansas including Riley County, Topeka and Salina just to mention a few. There are also hundreds of police departments across the country that are CALEA accredited. After the initial accreditation CALEA provides the department updates as new technology and procedures become available so that the department can adopt as needed.