Printer Friendly Version - Madison Police Department Receives Accreditation

From left, Madison Police Captain Joseph Race, Chief John “Jack” Drumm, and Communications Supervisor Edmund Brunt at the CALEA Conference in Mobile, Alabama on March 25. Photo courtesy of Captain Joseph Race

The results are in and the news is good. The Madison Police Department has officially been re-accredited and the communications department has been given its first accreditation, making the department a leader in that area.

An accreditation is a recognition of excellence for complying with a system of uniform standard or best practices for law enforcement agencies. This year the department went for its second law enforcement accreditation and its first accreditation for the communications department. The department went for its first accreditation back in 2012 in an effort to clean up its image after a series of scandals in 2007 ranging from prostitution to fraud brought the department image to an all-time low.

The process of accreditation involves a full review of the department’s practices and procedures by CALEA assessors. The assessors spent a week on-site in December going over police records and interviewing officers and town staff. The officials then put together a recommendation for the CALEA Commission, which made the final decision on accreditation just last week at its conference in Alabama.

Captain Joseph Race, who served as accreditation manager, said the review with the commission went well and the department is pleased to receive both accreditations.

“It went very smooth. It was a great conference and now we start working on the next one,” he said.

With each division now accredited, the Madison Police Department is the only department in the state and one of only 33 of departments across the country that are dually accredited for law enforcement and communications, according to Race.

At the formal review with the CALEA, Race said the commission was very satisfied with the department, but did ask about hiring practices and trying to establish a more diverse workforce, an issue with which law enforcement agencies around the country continue to struggle.

“We are making every effort we can, but as far as our report specifically, they [CALEA] were very impressed with it,” he said.

“Obviously we are very pleased and proud that they were successful,” he said. “I know the process they went through takes a lot of work.”