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Urbandale police receive CALEA advanced accreditation; chief praises staff and accreditation manager
Summary
The Urbandale Police Department received its fourth CALEA accreditation, completing an assessment against 464 advanced standards. Chief Rob Johansen said the agency ranked among the assessor’s top two visits and credited accreditation manager Meredith Sawyer.
The Urbandale Police Department received its fourth accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Mayor Angewig and Chief Rob Johansen told the City Council during a recognition presentation.
Chief Rob Johansen described the accreditation process as rigorous, saying the department “meet[s] a set of standards…there's 464 standards that we meet” as part of the advanced accreditation. He said the on-site assessor reviews files and interviews community members and staff; Johansen said the assessor told the department in an exit interview that Urbandale was “one of the top 2 agencies that he's ever visited.”
Johansen credited the department’s accreditation manager, Meredith Sawyer, for coordinating documentation and the annual and on-site assessments. He said CALEA accreditation is uncommon — about 4% of U.S. law enforcement agencies are accredited — and noted Urbandale is one of 11 agencies in Iowa with accreditation and among three in the state with advanced accreditation.
The presentation was ceremonial and no formal council action was required.
