Published April 10 2025
Less than 6% of U.S. law enforcement agencies are accredited
The Bellevue Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Less than 6% of law enforcement agencies in the United States are accredited with CALEA, which requires agencies to certify for re-accreditation every four years.
“The Bellevue Police Department is once again honored to achieve CALEA accreditation for another four years,” said Police Chief Wendell Shirley. “This certification sends a message regionwide that officers and staff within this agency are the best in this field of work. They perform at the highest level and take great pride in keeping this community a safe place to live, work and visit.”
Accreditation with CALEA, an independent credentialing authority, is known as the gold standard in public safety. For accreditation, departments must demonstrate they are setting a foundation to be a well-managed, transparent and community-focused law enforcement agency.
The police department produced more than 470 examples of meeting CALEA standards and objectives required for accreditation, including Bellevue officers receiving required certifications prior to training other officers and timely dissemination of public information during emergency incidents. The agency also completes an internal audit of each of the department’s practices, the agency’s use-of-force standards, and its own process for handling internal investigations prior to each accreditation process.
The department was first certified by CALEA in 2005 and now retains accreditation through 2028, with annual compliance checks.
Five departments at the city – Police, Fire, Parks & Community Services, Transportation and Utilities – have been continually accredited by nationally recognized organizations for more than 10 years.