CALEA Accreditation

On Saturday, March 22, 2022, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) reaccredited  the Lower Merion Police Department through this international credentialing authority. There are approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the country with a little over 1,100 involved in the accreditation process (6.3%). Of those, 849 have been accredited, or about 4.7% of law enforcement agencies in the country. In Pennsylvania, there are 13 other agencies currently CALEA accredited out of approximately 1,117, or 1%.

CALEA was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations: the 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 CALEA Accreditation Process is a proven modern management model that provides a blueprint that promotes the efficient use of resources and improves service delivery on a continuing basis.

Public Comment Portal

Beginning in 2023, as a way to further the accreditation process’ objective of providing agencies with information that supports improvement and fosters the pursuit of professional excellence, CALEA updated their public comment mechanism from call-in sessions and public hearings to a web-based comment portal.

The purpose of this public portal is to receive comments regarding an agency’s compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide the participating agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.

IMPORTANT: CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes.  Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgement to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.

The link to the portal can be found here: LMPD CALEA Public Comment Portal

In December of 2006, the Lower Merion Police Department received its initial accreditation from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.  In January of 2022, the Police Department completed the reaccreditation process and was accredited for an additional four year period, 2021-2025. The accreditation process ensures that the Lower Merion Police Department continues to provide the highest level of professional police service to our community. This is the 5th accreditation approved by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

For more information on the accreditation process visit the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association Accreditation website.