Accreditation

On May 4, 2019, the Salem Police Department was officially accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) in Huntsville, Alabama. In order to receive this national accreditation the department had to demonstrate compliance with over 180 CALEA standards.

By participating in the CALEA process, we believe we have improved the quality of the services provided to our community, according to Chief Mike Crawley. Also with accreditation comes a higher level of scrutiny and accountability not only to ourselves but to the citizens we serve.

Sergeant Todd Cheyney serves as the Accreditation Manager for the Salem Police Department. Chief Crawley states CALEA is considered the "gold standard for public safety" and Sergeant Cheyney has done a great job in helping the department achieve this goal. The department will move into CALEA's four-year Accreditation cycle which includes four annual remote, web-based file reviews and a site-based assessment in the fourth year.

CALEA serves as the premier credentialing association for public safety services for law enforcement organizations. A board of 21 commissioners who represent a large field of public safety leadership develops the standards. CALEA is an independent, non-profit organization established in 1979 to develop to set law enforcement standards designed for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to improve services in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.