The Oxford Police Department is excited to announce that it has earned
accreditation status by the prestigious Commission on Accreditation of
Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which is considered the gold
standard in public safety. The department was awarded accreditation
after a formal hearing on November 15, 2019, in Covington, Kentucky.
This distinction sanctions the professionalism and standards displayed
by the department’s men and women and places our agency in the
highest standard among law enforcement agencies throughout the
country.
CALEA accreditation is a voluntary process that requires agencies to
submit annual reports showing compliance with the programs’
standards. Agencies must complete a process which includes an in-
depth on-site assessment, community input, and a formal hearing before
a panel of commissioners. The assessment of these professional
standards provides for a high level of transparency and commitment to
an objective critique of the police department’s policies, procedures, and
operating standards.
Earlier this year, an assessment team from CALEA spent multiple days in
Oxford conducting interviews with elected officials, city executives,
department staff, and community members; reviewing written materials
and examining policies, procedures, and operations protocols across the
full spectrum of department activities, including riding along with
officers in the field to verify that policies and procedures were actually in
practice.
The CALEA process was one that Chief Joey East had envisioned a few years back. Through his guidance and hard work, the OPD staff were able to see this goal come to fruition. The OPD is very proud and honored to be one of only nine law enforcement agencies in Mississippi to have received this prestigious honor.
