One of the promises Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers made when he ran for that office in 2018 is that he would work toward CALEA accreditation for the Sheriff’s Department – and, just in time for the 2021 holiday season, the department has earned that honor. 

The Commission on Accreditation with Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) awarded the accreditation after the department successfully completed an exhaustive, lengthy, multi-step process and then passed the “Commissioner’s Review” – the final step in the credentialing process before the CALEA Board of Commissioners offered its positive decision.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Department, accreditation means that the law enforcement agency “meets professional standards and best law enforcement practices.” 

The department received the honor on Friday, Nov. 19 after meeting a long list of requirements with regard to its policies and procedures, administrative operations and service offerings.

The press release stated that the department “voluntarily accepted the challenge to comply with a body of professional standards developed by CALEA for law enforcement agencies.”

It added that Rogers and his staff had “worked diligently to bring accountability and transparency to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office” and it stated that “connecting with an internationally accrediting body has brought this to fruition.”

  This week, department officials are publicly offering thanks to members of the community, elected officials, department employees and everyone else who played a role in the successful accreditation effort.

One of the final steps in the process came in June, when CALEA invited both positive and negative feedback about the department from county residents and department employees alike.

CALEA was formed in 1979 as a credentialing authority.  It was a joint effort of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the National Sheriffs’ Association.