The Hamilton County Emergency Communications District has completed its onsite assessment and will be awarded reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) at the upcoming Commission Hearing and Conference. CALEA accreditation serves as the international gold standard for public safety agencies and is the primary way for an agency to voluntarily demonstrate its commitment to excellence in emergency communications.
The district earned its initial CALEA accreditation in 2013 and reaccreditation in July of this year through a standard onsite accreditation assessment. With this most recent reaccreditation, effective Nov. 5, the district remains one of only six Tennessee emergency communications agencies to be granted national accreditation through CALEA.
CALEA Accreditation is a voluntary program whose purpose is to improve the delivery of public safety services primarily by maintaining a body of standards developed by public safety practitioners, establishing and administering an accreditation process, and recognizing professional excellence. Assessors visiting the District continually remarked on the professionalism and superior performance of the agency and agency personnel.
The CALEA accreditation process is lengthy, beginning with a rigorous self-assessment requiring a review of policies, practices, and processes against internationally accepted public safety standards, followed by an independent assessment by those with significant public safety experience. The decision to accredit or reaccredit is rendered by a governing body of 21 commissioners following a public hearing and review of all reporting documentation. Once accredited, an agency must maintain compliance throughout the three-year accreditation award cycle.
One of the nation’s largest accredited emergency communications agencies, the district provides comprehensive emergency communications services to the citizens of Hamilton County through 911 service and to 26 different public safety agencies in Hamilton County.