On November 19, 2021, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) voted to reaccredit The Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Department (DRBA) with the Gold Standard with Excellence Award. CALEA is an international association that accredits law enforcement agencies for achieving industry-established performance standards and professional practices. CALEA presented this prestigious designation in recognition of this agency’s outstanding compliance with accreditation standards during its eighth reaccreditation in 2021.

CALEA was established as an independent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major law enforcement executive associations: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). CALEA raises the bar of professionalism for law enforcement agencies by establishing a uniform set of written directives, strengthening an agency’s accountability, formalizing essential management procedures, establishing fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices, boosting citizen and staff confidence in the agency, solidifying interagency cooperation and coordination.

The purpose and mission of CALEA is two-fold. First, it establishes a body of standards designed to increase the capabilities of a public safety agency to prevent and control crime, increase agency effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of public safety services, increase cooperation and coordination with other public safety agencies; and, increase citizen and employee confidence in the goals, objectives, policies, and practices of the public safety agency. Secondly, it is to establish and administer a series of accreditation standards through which public safety agencies can demonstrate voluntarily that they meet an established set of professionally recognized standards leading to excellence in management and service delivery.

In August 2021, CALEA assessors conducted a four (4) day Gold Standard on-site assessment of the Delaware River and Bay Authority Police Department to determine compliance with nationally adopted operational, administrative, training, and personnel management standards. A two-member assessment team reviewed four hundred and fifty-nine (459) standards, conducted interviews, inspected equipment, and observed daily operations. This on-site was done virtually due to COVID-19.

At the annual virtual conference in November 2021, CALEA voted unanimously to re-accredit the DRBA Police Department for the next four (4) years, with remote CALEA reviews completed annually. The department was initially accredited in 1996, and was re-accredited in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021.

The DRBA Police Department is extremely honored to have been selected to serve as a CALEA Accreditation with Excellence award winning agency. A tremendous amount of credit for the department’s success must to go the men and women of the DRBA Police Department. It was a result of the hard work and dedication of each and every member of this Department.