Alexandria Police Department Awarded Accreditation for 38th Consecutive Year

Alexandria, VA - The Alexandria Police Department (APD) was awarded Advanced Law Enforcement Re-accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) on Saturday, July 27, marking 38 consecutive years the department has held this prestigious status.

CALEA reaccreditation is the internationally recognized gold standard for public safety agencies, requiring adherence to over 440 standards, codes, and state-of-the-art practices. APD's streak shows it to be an exemplar in the field of law enforcement.

"CALEA's accreditation standards promote the efficient use of resources, improve service delivery to our community, and ensure we are in keeping with established best practices," said Raul Pedroso, Interim Chief of Police for the APD. "I want to thank our personnel for continuing to meet the high standards established by CALEA and striving for excellence in all that we do at APD. This important achievement is a testament to the dedication of our officers and other staff who demonstrate their commitment every single day."

The CALEA accreditation process begins with a rigorous self-assessment, requiring a review of policies, practices, and processes against internationally accepted public safety standards. This is followed by an assessment from independent assessors. Public feedback is also taken into account to promote community trust and engagement, and structured interviews are conducted with select agency personnel to assess the agency's effectiveness and overall service delivery capacity.

Pictured: (L-R): Craig Hartley, Jr., Executive Director, CALEA, Raul Pedroso, Interim Chief of Police Alexandria Police Department (APD), Caroline Dunn, APD Accreditation Manager, Sergeant. Ian Torrance, APD Office of Directives & Research, and Marlon Lynch, CALEA Commission Chairman