Accreditation

Accreditation of a law enforcement agency is the certification of the agency's commitment to establish policies and procedures which result in the adherence to a nationally recognized body of professional standards of law enforcement. It assures the community that its law enforcement agency is committed to provide services of the highest quality, and that its policies and procedures are not only effective and responsive, but fair and equitable. Accreditation also assures agency personnel that every aspect of its personnel system is in agreement with nationwide standards and that it is both fair and equitable. The Hagerstown Police Department is proud to be among the agencies who have attained the status of national accreditation.  

To receive this certification, the department began a self-assessment process in 1989 in which all aspects of its operations were evaluated for compliance with the more than 800 standards developed by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). In January of 1994, a team of law enforcement officers chosen by CALEA from agencies around the country came to HPD for an on-site assessment of our compliance with the standards. After several days of examination and inspection, the team concluded that the Hagerstown Police Department was in compliance with the necessary standards. On March 26, 1994, full accredited status was awarded to HPD by CALEA.

The Hagerstown Police Department has undergone periodic assessments by CALEA since its initial award and has been reaccredited after each assessment.  Its most recent accreditation status was awarded March 26, 2021. 

Public Comments Invited
CALEA has established a public comment portal to receive comments regarding the Hagerstown Police Department's compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status.  These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns.  To submit comments, please visit the public portal page at https://cimrs2.calea.org/477. 

IMPORTANT: CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes.  Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgment of submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.