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Clinton Police Recognized for CALEA Accreditation

During the regular meeting on July 3, the Town Council, along with state legislators, honored the Clinton Police Department for being officially accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

CALEA is an independent nonprofit formed in 1979 that aims to improve public safety services by overseeing a strict accreditation process that a press release said is widely recognized as “the gold standard “ of best practices for law enforcement.

A press release from Clinton Town Manager Michelle Benivegna noted, “This recognition places the Clinton Police Department among an elite group of law enforcement agencies dedicated to upholding the highest standards in public safety.” Clinton is one of only 31 departments in the state that have achieved this level of CALEA accreditation.

Clinton Police Chief Vincent DeMaio and members of the department were on hand to receive a citation from the Connecticut House of Representatives and State Senate. State Representative Chris Aniskovich (R-35) was present at the meeting since he is also a member of the Town Council, and State Senator Norm Needleman (D-33) attended the meeting as well.

The process to getting CALEA certified is a long one for the department. “It was really always a goal from when I got hired. That was named as one of the goals by the police commission at that time,” DeMaio said after the meeting.

DeMaio said that the department began making a concerted effort at becoming CALEA certified over four years ago, which due to the amount of information required for the certification proved to be a laborious and time consuming process.

“It looks at every aspect of law enforcement operation and administration,” DeMaio said.

Each year, the department is required to submit records of police interactions and copies of policies for CALEA staff to review. CALEA staff also interviewed community members and personnel from other departments the Clinton police regularly work with.

DeMaio said there will be ongoing monitoring to ensure the accreditation is maintained.

“It’s a true system of accountability and transparency, and it’s good to have a third-party review to make sure we’re doing what we say we’re doing,” said DeMaio.

While noting that he was “proud” to see a long-term goal accomplished, DeMaio credited the men and women of the department for their hard work in making the goal become a reality.

“It’s really emblematic of the work the men and women of the department do to serve the community, which goes back to our core values of service, honor, integrity, and professionalism,” DeMaio said.