On May 4, 2019, the Salem Police Department was officially accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) in Huntsville, AL. In order to receive this national accreditation the department had to demonstrate compliance with over 180 CALEA standards.

By participating in the CALEA process, we believe we have improved the quality of the services provided to our community, according to Chief Mike Crawley. Also with accreditation comes higher level of scrutiny and accountability not only to ourselves but to the citizens we serve.

Sergeant Todd Cheyney serves as the Accreditation Manager for the Salem Police Department. Chief Crawley states CALEA is considered the “gold Standard for public safety” and Sgt. Cheyney has done a great job in helping the department achieve this goal. The department will move into CALEA’s four year Accreditation cycle that includes four annual remote, web based file reviews and a site based assessment in the fourth year.

CALEA serves as the premier credentialing association for public safety services for law enforcement organizations. A board of 21 commissioners who represent a large field of public safety leadership develops the standards. CALEA is an independent, non-profit organization established in 1979 to develop to set a law enforcement standards designed for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to improve services in the Unites States, Canada and Mexico.