POLICY & ACCREDITATION
Since 1989 , The Arlington Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies ( CALEA ). Each year , the Arlington Police Department strives to excel in and has succeeded in meeting more than the minimum requirements to comply with the gold standard of accreditation that CALEA stands for . With over 480 standards of compliance , the accreditation team , along with the continuous efforts and performance of the entire Arlington Police Department , must do their due diligence in making sure that we maintain our compliance with the “ best practices ” that CALEA requires from agencies , not just from the United States , but worldwide . 2022 was no exception and APD was once again successful in the annual remote assessment .
During the 2022 year , there were many changes that directly affected the accreditation process . Some of those include : the expansion of our Behavioral Health Law Enforcement Unit ( BHLEU ), the implementation of our new beard and tattoo policy , a new general order allowing officers to wear cowboy hats in approved environments , and changes in policy that now allows Detention Officers and PSA ' s extra duty opportunities . These are just a few of the changes made this year to APD policy that reflected the interests of the department and community , as well as maintaining all related CALEA standards .
As the Arlington Police Department strives to continue its CALEA Tri-Arc Award for having concurrent accreditation for Law Enforcement , Public Safety Communications , and Public Safety Training , our next remote assessment is in June and the on-site assessment is scheduled for August of 2023 . As APD forges ahead , we look forward to the near future as we expect to receive our tenth consecutive award in Law Enforcement , and fifth consecutive award for the Training Academy .
28 | 2022 Annual Report