Illinois State Police earn reaccreditation

The Illinois State Police, ISP, have received reaccreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., CALEA.

State police officials recently announced the reaccreditation.

CALEA accreditation ensures the agency continues to serve Illinois residents with professional excellence.

The annual CALEA conference was attended by hundreds of law enforcement professionals from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, recently in Baltimore, Md.

The commission is responsible for verifying agencies have met the multitude of standards for re-accreditation consideration.

The Illinois State Police earned the Accreditation with Excellence Award, which exemplified the agency’s dedication in maintaining the highest level of professional services to the public and criminal justice community.

The award also underscores the department’s commitment to service and the accreditation process.

“CALEA accreditation is a benchmark of the ISP’s commitment and readiness to keep the citizens of Illinois safe,” said ISP director Leo P. Schmitz in a news release.

“This award illustrates the hard work ISP employees perform each and every day and their dedication to fulfill our public safety mission.”

Earlier this year, a team of assessors from CALEA examined all aspects of the ISP’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services to verify that the agency met the commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

CALEA was established in 1979 as an independent accrediting authority by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriff’s Association and the Police Executives Research Forum.

This is the ninth consecutive accreditation status awarded to the ISP since the initial award on June 15, 1986.