Blue Springs, Mo. – The City of Blue Springs is proud to announce that the Blue Springs Police Department has been awarded national reaccreditation for its continued compliance with national standards for policing by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
“It is important for our department and our community to achieve national accreditation,” said Blue Springs Police Chief Bob Muenz. “National accreditation was identified as a strategic goal by the City Council in 2015 and we have we continued to meet that goal as a priority for our department. Thanks to the hard work of our employees and accreditation manager Teri Sandlin, achieving this goal has become a reality.”
This is the third CALEA accreditation the Police Department has received since and will remain in effect for four years. The process of CALEA Accreditation begins with a rigorous self-assessment, requiring a review of policies, practices and processes against internationally accepted public safety standards. This is followed with an assessment by independent assessors with significant public safety experience. Additionally, public feedback is received to promote community trust and engagement, and structured interviews are conducted with select agency personnel and others with knowledge to assess the agency’s effectiveness and overall service delivery capacities. The decision to accredit is rendered by a governing body of 21 Commissioners following a public hearing and a review of all reporting documentation.
“Under this accreditation process there are some 400 policies that are under review and it’s a rigorous process. The Police Department’s CALEA reaccreditation is a testament to the hard work of accreditation manager Teri Sandlin, Chief Bob Muenz, and of the men and women in this department,” said City Administrator Eric Johnson.
The Department was notified of the award of CALEA reaccreditation on July 28 and the official presentation of the CALEA Accreditation certificate was awarded to Chief Muenz at the Oct. 1 City Council Meeting.