The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA),
was established as an independent law enforcement agency accrediting authority
in 1979 by the four major law enforcement membership associations in the United
States: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); National Sheriffs' Association (NSA);
and Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
The executive directors of these four associations appoint members to the Commission
annually; an endorsement requires a majority vote for each appointment.
The Commission has 21 members: eleven are law enforcement practitioners; the remaining ten are
selected from the public and private sectors. Commissioners are appointed to a
three-year term. The position of commissioner is voluntary, and while
commissioners receive no salary, travel expenses and a per diem allowance are
paid when they conduct Commission business.
CALEA derives its general authority from the four major law
enforcement membership associations mentioned above, whose members represent
approximately 80% of the law enforcement professionals in the United States. The
Commission derives its accreditation authority from those agencies that
voluntarily participate in the accreditation program.
Successful completion of the accreditation program requires commitment
from all levels of an organization, starting with the chief executive officer
and continuing through all levels. To foster commitment, a decision to
participate should be voluntary. To this end, the Commission insures that
accreditation is and will continue to be voluntary.
In addition to receiving international recognition for achieving excellence,
the primary benefits of accreditation are a management model, ability to
provide better service to the community, controlled liability insurance costs,
administrative improvements, greater accountability from supervisors, and
increased governmental and community support.
The Oakland Housing Authority Police Department is proud to be one of thirteen
law enforcement organizations in California to receive accreditation. The
Department received its first accreditation in March of 1999, and received
re-accreditation in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017. The Accreditation Manager is Sergeant Joshua Ruiz.