DPD Again Earns CALEA Re-accreditation
Tuesday, July 30th, 2024
The Dalton Police Department has once again earned re-accreditation from CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The department was awarded its re-accreditation last Friday at a conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With the recognition, the DPD remains among just 29 municipal law enforcement agencies to earn the honor.
"The Dalton Police Department is committed to providing high quality services to the community," Chief Cliff Cason said. "The CALEA accreditation process provides a framework we can use to help meet this goal. The end result of the process is a more professional department that provides quality services."
To earn accreditation, a law enforcement agency must adhere to 461 best practice standards set forth by CALEA. Police departments must demonstrate that they have policies in place which are consistent with those standards and also produce evidence to show that the policies are being followed. Assessors from CALEA perform exhaustive studies of each agency including reviews of reports and data and also an on-site inspection of the department with interviews of department personnel and also members of the community. Once accredited, agencies must be reviewed for re-accreditation every four years. The Dalton Police Department completed its CALEA on-site inspection and review in April.
"Maintaining CALEA accreditation is a constant process for our agency. For the process to be successful everyone on our staff has to do their part," Chief Cason said. "We are very fortunate to have Grant Mantooth to serve as our accreditation manager. His hard work and attention to detail is a big part of our being able to achieve re-accreditation."
The department engages in a constant and thorough self-review process throughout the four-year cycle in order to ensure not just that the department will maintain its accreditation status, but also more importantly that the department is doing things the right way. The main goal of maintaining accreditation is to be sure that the department is providing the best service possible for the people of Dalton.
This is the fourth time that Dalton has had its international accreditation confirmed. The department was first accredited in 2013 and then earned re-accreditation in 2016 and 2020. Dalton is also state-certified through the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.
Below: CALEA Executive Director Craig Hartley, Jr. (left) and CALEA Commissioner Marlon Lynch (right) pose with Dalton PD Assistant Chief Chris Crossen, Officer Grant Mantooth, and Captain Barry Woods after awarding the DPD's re-accreditation
