The Annapolis Police Department has been suspended from an international accreditation which ratifies a law enforcement agency’s commitment to professional standards and management.
To be awarded a certification by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), a police department must demonstrate regular compliance with its criteria for procedural and structural operations. Among these standards are guidelines on the use of force, weapons training, fiscal management and working conditions.
Participation in CALEA is voluntary, with initial and annual fees due to the organization, although more than 30 police departments in Maryland are actively accredited by what is known as “the gold standard in public safety.”
Last year, according to Police Chief Ed Jackson, much of the Annapolis agency was redirected from its administrative duties, including its CALEA filings, to the streets.
With high-profile crimes, such as a triple murder over a parking dispute, and an uptick in neighborhood shootings, Jackson said, “even more important than CALEA is the preservation of life.”
“I’ll never apologize for doing what my oath calls me to do,” Jackson said, telling The Capital he would make the same decisions again under the same circumstances.
By the end of July 2023, with 38 incidents, Annapolis had already incurred more shootings than its five-year average of 36. In response, Jackson launched a summer crime plan to increase officer presence in “areas affected by violence.”
During the eight-week timetable the plan was originally slated for, Annapolis suffered two teen homicides, while rates of robberies, burglaries, rapes, serious assaults and theft decreased.
In an interview Friday, Jackson said saving lives takes precedence over paperwork.
“This has nothing to do with politics,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, this has to do with the best interests of the community.”
Speaking to the City Council’s Finance Committee in mid-April, however, the chief accepted full responsibility for the loss of CALEA and said his department hopes to regain its certification as soon as possible.
“We will get back to being accredited in CALEA. “We really will,” Jackson told the committee. “CALEA doesn’t affect our ability to go out and enforce the law.”
Although the temporary suspension may remain in effect for a year, the certification could be reinstated before then if CALEA commissioners complete an assessment, according to Jackson, an assessment that has not yet been scheduled.
Created in 1979, CALEA acts as a checks and balances system to police agencies across North America. Reaccreditation is based on a 4-year review cycle which involves annual status reports and performance tracking. Web-based assessments take place every year, while an on-site evaluation occurs every four years, according to the organization’s website.
A CALEA endorsement provides a certain level of prestige and accountability. However, not having or losing a certification does not leave a department or government exposed to increased litigation, nor does it affect their ability to receive grants or funding, according to Ward 5 Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier.
“It’s unfortunate that this occurred but our police department worked to quickly fix the problem when they noticed it,” Schandelmeier said. “They continue to work providing quality service for our city.”
CALEA is currently available in the United States, Canada and Mexico and covers agencies ranging from college campus security to statewide departments.
As of Friday, 34 public safety bodies in Maryland are actively accredited with CALEA, including the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Maryland State Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, as well as departments in Baltimore, Howard and Montgomery counties.
Police agencies at Towson University, Salisbury University, the University of Maryland, the University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland Baltimore County are also certified.
The Baltimore Police Department is currently in the self-assessment stage of accreditation, an internal review of whether it complies with the mandatory standards before the organization evaluates itself.
