The Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program has granted accreditation status to the Chattanooga Police Department. To achieve accreditation with TLEA, an agency voluntarily submits to a possibly three-year process of enhancing the agency’s professionalism and effectiveness utilizing 152 law enforcement standards and participating in a thorough on-site assessment. The standards address a variety of areas including organizational, operational and budget management practices.
The program is intended to encourage cooperation, recognize professional standing, develop professional services and ensure public safety throughout the State of Tennessee. The TLEA program is a valuable and cost effective way to enhance overall agency effectiveness and professionalism.
The Chattanooga Police Department successfully accomplished TLEA accreditation by meeting criteria that measured the professionalism, organizational, and overall readiness in law enforcement policy and procedures. “The standard of excellence that is met through this process is to be admired. We’re proud to recognize the hard work of this department and its staff,” TACP President Glenn Chrisman said.
Bobby Dodd, chief of Chattanooga Police Department, said the department is honored to be recognized by TLEA. “We have been accredited for the past 12 years through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and are currently in the progress of being reviewed for the Gold Standard reaccreditation through CALEA. CALEA and TLEA set the standards on law enforcement policies and procedures statewide, nationwide and even internationally for our enforcement profession. I’m proud of the dedication and hard work put forth by the men and women of the Chattanooga Police Department in order to pursue and achieve these goals.”
The Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program is a voluntary program that recognizes the excellence and professional achievement in law enforcement agencies across the State of Tennessee.
The program began in 2010 through the efforts of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police. There are currently over 50 agencies involved in the state accreditation program, 80 percent of which have less than 50 sworn officers in their departments.
Source: Chattanooga Police Department