Accreditation of the Lewiston (Maine) Police Department

On November 18th 1995, the Lewiston Police Department was awarded accredited status by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), placing the department among the elite of law enforcement agencies on the North American Continent. Fewer than 500 police departments throughout the United States and Canada have qualified for this prestigious distinction.

Below is a reprint of a Lewiston Sun Journal Article that appeared shortly after the Lewiston Police Department received its accreditation.

Reprinted with the permission of the Lewiston Sun-Journal
Originally published on Saturday, November 23, 1995

BY MARK LAFLAMME
Sun-Journal Staff Writer

LEWISTON -- What most city officials and citizens already knew was confirmed last weekend -- police in Lewiston are among the country's finest.

The police department here officially became accredited Saturday when Chief Michael Kelly, Lt. Andrew D'Eramo, and Sgt. Dan Pelletier traveled to Omaha, Neb., to receive the honor from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

The accredited status was bestowed on the police department after assessors spent a week in September scrutinizing nearly every facet of how the department is run.

"It took us three-and-a-half years to get there," said Chief Kelly. "What it means is we've attained the highest standards of law enforcement. It tells the tax payers they can rest assured they have a police department that has reached a level of competence that is second to none."

The examination in September consisted of assessors looking at 436 basic standards within the department, including the facility and equipment, operations, management, and record keeping.

Assessors reviewed written material, interviewed department staff and others, and visited offices and other areas where operations could be observed.

The team's findings as a result of the assessment was impressive and the bottom line judgment was that Lewiston has a top-notch police department.

"I want to take my hat off to the Chief and all of his staff," Mayor John Jenkins said. "The department is making great strides. This absolutely helps me to market the city and it's definitely one of those pluses that helps expand our economy."

With accredited status, the Lewiston Police Department becomes one of less than 400 law enforcement agencies in North America that can boast of the status. Only around 35 departments have achieved accreditation in New England, according to Kelly. Three are in Maine.

That's not to say police can now lay back and enjoy the honor; department officials will be required to submit annual reports proving they are complying with the standards set for the three-year term of the accreditation.

"Just because we received the accreditation, it doesn't mean we can sit back on our haunches," Kelly said. "They hold you to it. We must show we are still meeting all of those standards."

The Commissions final decision that the Lewiston Police Department is deserving of the status came of no surprise to city officials and federal prosecutors who testified before assessors on the department's behalf.

"Our office feels very strongly about that police department," said Bill Browder, of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Portland. "We were urging (the commission) to accredit them. They are an outstanding department and we are thrilled for them."

"It shows we have true professionals and that is what is needed in police work," said Lewiston City Councilor Frank J. Kelly. "I think it's great."

As part of the voluntary assessment process, the police department invited comments from the public by phone and at a public forum held Sept. 18.

"They're always on the front side of things," Jenkins said at the time. "They're not followers, they're doers."

To gain accredited status, the police department went through 28 separate steps which involved extensive examinations into how they operate.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies was established in 1979 as an independent, taxexempt and non-profit organization through the combined efforts of four law enforcement executive membership associations.

The overall purpose, according to commission literature, is to "improve the delivery of law enforcement services, primarily through a law enforcement accreditation program organized and maintained in the public interest."

Visit the C.A.L.E.A. Home Page for more information on the Law Enforcement Accreditation criteria and process.