NYS Accredited Since 1993
Accreditation
The New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was established to provide law enforcement agencies with a mechanism to evaluate and improve the overall effectiveness of their agency and the performance of their staff.
The Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program is voluntary and designed to improve an agency’s effectiveness, efficiency, and professionalism; promote training and foster public confidence in law enforcement. Police departments and sheriffs’ offices are eligible to participate in the program.
Agencies must meet a set of standards in three categories: Administration, Training and Operations. Accreditation provides formal recognition that an agency meets or exceeds expectations of quality; demonstrates that the agency performs in a professional manner, has formalized policies in place to govern its operational practices and procedures, and that its employees contribute to the agency’s mission and know what is expected of them. Agencies are accredited / reaccredited every five years.
New York was the first state in the country to sponsor a law enforcement accreditation program. Operational since 1989, the program has evolved to address legal, policing, and social issues, with program standards revised, added, or removed to remain responsive to the needs of New York’s law enforcement community.
The New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program enables administrators to strengthen existing procedures while simultaneously creating a solid foundation for the agency’s future. The benefits of accreditation include: