The Johnston Police Department continues to meet and exceed the rigorous national accreditation standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), and recently earned reaccreditation from the agency.

The reaccreditation distinguishes the department as having met the highest law enforcement standards of conduct and service while maintaining a commitment to achieve professional excellence by using best practices.

“I am proud of the men and women of the Johnston Police Department who have wholeheartedly accepted the accreditation process and the rigors associated with it,” said Johnston Police Chief Joseph Razza. “Accreditation is just another validation that we will continue to provide the most current and professional police services to this community.”

The department’s reaccreditation award places the organization in an elite class of law enforcement agencies. The initiative is a testament to the professionalism and commitment of Johnston’s police officers to public service and increased accountability.

CALEA is a credentialing authority composed of associations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Police Executive Research Forum.

Accreditation from the commission is highly sought after by police departments across the country. It is a continuous process and requires all department files to remain updated and ready for annual compliance reviews. The commission allows public safety agencies to voluntarily meet an established set of hundreds of professional standards.

Those standards require the department to maintain written directives that define authority, performance, and responsibilities, be subject to independent reviews by subject matter experts, and to expand community relationship-building, among other assessment measures.

Johnston’s accreditation process was spearheaded by Captain Matthew Benson, who serves as accreditation manager and the commander of the department’s operations and training division.

“Accreditation is an extremely prestigious designation, it demonstrates a commitment to excellence that only a small percentage of police agencies nationwide ascend to. We are extremely fortunate in Rhode Island to have such a strong accreditation program with the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission (RIPAC) as it truly prepares our agencies for the rigor that CALEA presents,” said Benson. “Assessors from across the country marvel at the example Rhode Island agencies set as leaders in policing best practice, and I’m proud to be a member of the Johnston Police Department, with the substantial role we hold in that reputation.”

The Johnston Police Department first received CALEA accreditation in 2017, which remains in effect for four years. The accreditation process is labor intensive, requiring months of preparation that included providing proofs of compliance to standards in the form of records, video and audio recordings, and inspections.

While previous years saw the department undergo on-site assessments conducted by an independent and experienced team of assessors from CALEA, the recent pandemic presented unforeseen challenges in the accreditation process.  

“The new remote assessment model presented some interesting challenges and logistical obstacles, but the department was well prepared and staunchly supported by the town in order to succeed. We received tremendous feedback from the assessment team, not just for what we presented for compliance verification, but also for the creativity in how we presented it,” said Benson. “A YouTube video tour of the station was provided to the assessment team in lieu of a walking tour, along with virtual “press conference-like” interviews of necessary stakeholders and community partners as examples. It was really well received and appreciated by the assessment team.”

In addition to the CALEA accreditation, the Johnston Police Department earned Rhode Island accreditation through the RIPAC in 2015, and has maintained that status ever since. Captain Benson, who also serves as a member of the RIPAC Commission and as an assessor of police departments throughout the state, was recently named as Assessor of the Year by RIPAC. The captain is also an assessor for CALEA and has completed several assessments of agencies around the country from Maryland to Illinois.

“I am very fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to be an assessor for both RIPAC and CALEA, and to work with some of the best law enforcement and municipal leaders this state and country have to offer,” said Benson. “I truly believe that my travels have afforded our department with a tremendous advantage in both programmatic accreditation compliance and operational best practices.”

Such accreditation benefits the town of Johnston in terms of liability.  The scrutiny that the department faced ensures that the agency is operating using best practices governed by industry standard policies. The department has once again proved, by way of external review and assessment, that it operates to the highest standards. 

“The citizens of Johnston should know that their police department is and always will be held to the highest standard possible and maintaining accreditation is evidence of that commitment,” said Razza.