Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

SUFFOLK – The Suffolk Police Department achieved re-accreditation for law enforcement from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) on March 22, 2025. The Suffolk Police Department started the initial lengthy process of accreditation in 2011, and was first awarded law enforcement accreditation from CALEA in 2014. This is the Department’s fourth award for law enforcement accreditation. The Suffolk Police Department is also accredited by CALEA in the area of emergency communications, and received that re-accreditation in March 2024.

The CALEA accreditation program requires agencies to adhere to the framework for addressing high-risk issues within a contemporary environment, and ensures the Department is prepared to meet basic community service expectations and is prepared to manage critical events. The Suffolk Police Department must comply with approximately one hundred and eighty-three standards, which in turn, contain over three hundred bulleted sub-standards in order to maintain an accredited status. Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards for CALEA law enforcement.

The Suffolk Police Department is community-oriented, and public trust is an integral part of its function on a day-to-day basis. This rigorous process offers a transparency to the public, which mutually benefits both parties so that the Suffolk Police Department can work together to build and support the most viable community possible. Enrollment in the CALEA Accreditation process is strictly voluntary, as most departments would not be able to reach compliance with the strict accountability standards that are required. Only approximately 1,300 law enforcement agencies, as it takes the highest level of commitment to excellence to be able to comply with all of the requirements. By once again, voluntarily subscribing to this strategic and comprehensive re-accreditation process, the Suffolk Police Department has once again attested to its commitment to the citizens of Suffolk.