The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®) was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations: 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 programs provide public safety agencies with an opportunity to voluntarily meet an established set of professional standards, which require:
- Comprehensive and uniform written directives that clearly define authority, performance and responsibilities.
- Reports and analyses to make fact-based and informed management decisions.
- Preparedness to address natural or man-made critical incidents.
- Community relationship-building and maintenance.
- Independent review by subject matter experts.
- Continuous pursuit of excellence through annual reviews and other assessment measures.
The Minnesota State Patrol launched the CALEA Accreditation process in 2023, officially enrolling in 2024. Once the Minnesota State Patrol achieves this best practice accreditation, maintaining accredited status is an on-going project and requires constant monitoring and periodic updating of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with internationally accepted law enforcement accreditation standards.
Learn more about CALEA on its website.
CALEA maintains a public portal to receive comments regarding an agency's compliance with the best practices of accreditation. To submit a public comment regarding the Minnesota State Patrol, visit the Accreditation Public Comment Portal.
