When Thomas Doyle was hired as police chief in Greenhills, Oh., in 2005, one of the tasks he was given was upgrading the eight-member department, says the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We wanted to turn the place around,’ ” Doyle recalled. “Policing was being done in as many ways as there were officers.” The former Greenville, Oh., chief immediately set out to establish policy and procedures on everything from “how we write tickets, how we treat people and how we do press releases.” The efforts were rewarded this month when the department received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Inc. (CALEA)
The commission, which evaluates police agencies on up to 459 criteria, said the Greenhills Police Department could serve as a model for well-run small department. Greenhills is one of only 19 small police departments (those with 24 or fewer officers) in the U.S. that has received the accreditation. The three-year accreditation process included a five-day on-site visit by a team that reviewed the department’s records, rode with officers, and held a public hearing. Greenhills met all of CALEA’s 459 standards. Smaller departments often attempt to receive accreditation on 110 core standards rather than the full 459.
Link: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080325/NEWS01/803250348/1056/COL02