(August 8, 2013, Springfield Township - Hamilton County, OH)On August 3, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio, the internationally-recognized Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) awarded the Springfield Township Police Department its sixth official re-accreditation. Additionally, the department was recognized with an Award of Excellence, the highest award given by CALEA. Of the 17,985 state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States, only 989 are CALEA accredited. In the State of Ohio, only 73 acquired accreditation. The Springfield Township Police Department is one of only twelve agencies in Ohio that has been recognized with the CALEA Award of Excellence.
Springfield Township Trustee Joseph Honerlaw attended the accreditation ceremony. "I'm especially proud of our Police Department under the leadership of Police Chief David Heimpold," stated Honerlaw. "The department scored perfect on the on-site assessment, which has never been achieved before." Scoring a perfect onsite assessment, along with exceeding each of the CALEA Gold Standard requirements, earned the department what is considered Accreditation with Excellence.
The Springfield Township Police Department is staffed by 53 personnel, including 46 full and part-time sworn police officers. As the third largest law enforcement agency in Hamilton County, the department operates a full-service force. Unlike smaller cities and most townships in Ohio, Springfield Township does not contract with the county for service. The department employs, promotes and trains top detectives, traffic patrol, drug enforcement, school resource officers and K-9 officers.
"The Springfield Township Police Department takes pride not only in being a law enforcement agency that has worked hard for this prestigious recognition, but also in being an agency that has earned the respect of its community and the people it serves," stated Chief Heimpold. In its 17-page report, the on-site CALEA assessment team concluded, "The agency uses a Community Policing approach to the delivery of law enforcement services with a high priority placed on pro-active efforts. Agency personnel are well trained and well equipped to deliver professional law enforcement services. The agency embraces the philosophy of Community Policing, focusing its attention on partnerships with the communities it serves. Striving for a cooperative process of identifying police/community priorities, the agency recognizes that police incidents are symptoms of underlying problems and searches to identify problems in many different dimensions. The use of the IMPACT team highlights the agency's attempts to reduce crime by addressing problems within the community."
The CALEA accreditation program involves a comprehensive review of a law enforcement agency's organization, management, operations and administration. The accreditation process begins with a self-assessment examination by the agency to determine whether it complies with all applicable standards. It concludes with an on-site inspection by CALEA assessors and a final review hearing by the commission. Participation in the CALEA accreditation program is voluntary, but successful completion provides a law enforcement agency with a nationally recognized status of excellence and professional achievement. To receive accreditation, the Springfield Township Police Department participated in an intense three-year process, complying with over 459 overall standards set forth by the commission. These standards touched on every facet of the department from administrative to operational services.
