Accreditation

The Hawaiʻi Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA).

The department was awarded its initial accreditation at the CALEA fall conference on November 17, 2012, in Jacksonville, Florida.

The department received its re-accreditation  on November 21, 2015, in Miami, Florida; November 16, 2019, in Covington, Kentucky; its latest re-accreditation on November 11, 2023, in Bellevue, Washington, again for another 4-year term.

Of the roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, only about 793 are CALEA accredited.

To earn accreditation, the police department had to demonstrate that it is in compliance with more than 400 applicable CALEA standards. To remain accredited, the department must maintain compliance with those standards and undergo a new CALEA assessment every three four years.

CALEA was established as a credentialing authority in 1979 through the joint efforts of major law enforcement executive associations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Sheriff’s Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). The goals of CALEA are to improve the delivery of public safety services by developing and maintaining a body of standards, establishing and administering an accreditation process for law enforcement agencies, and recognizing professional excellence in public safety.

Public Feedback Sought for CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Process

The Hawai’i Police Department is participating in the CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation process. As a part of this process, we provide an opportunity for public feedback via the CALEA Portal which can be located here: https://cimrs2.calea.org/90

The purpose of this public portal is to receive comments regarding engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, overall candidacy for accredited status, and compliance to CALEA standards. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide our agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster our pursuit of professional excellence.

It is important to know that CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes. Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgement to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.

Standard titles may be viewed on the CALEA website: Law Enforcement–Standards Titles | CALEA® | The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.