On Saturday, March 17, 2007 the City of North Charleston Police Department was awarded National Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (C.A.L.E.A) during the organization’s annual spring conference in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Chief Jon R. Zumalt, along with members of his Executive staff appeared before the commission to complete the nearly three year accreditation process.  The accreditation program requires the Police Department to comply with 446 state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas:  policies and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.  Members of the accreditation commission praised the Police department’s commitment to completing the extensive process.   

National Accreditation strengthens crime prevention and control capabilities; formalizes essential management procedures; establishes fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices; improves service delivery; solidifies interagency cooperation and coordination; and increases community and staff confidence in the agency.  Mayor Keith Summey said, “This is a defining moment not only for the hard working men and women of the police department, but also for our entire City and residents.  Summey goes on to say, “Receiving national accreditation ensures our citizens that they are receiving the best public safety service from a professional agency.”

Chief Jon Zumalt told the Commission, “This is a proud moment for the employees of our agency and North Charleston citizens to know that of the 11,000 municipal agencies in the nation only 388 have achieved this remarkable goal, and the City of North Charleston is among this small group of accredited agencies.”