Scarsdale Police Receive Top Accreditation

A national law enforcement commission has awarded the Scarsdale Police Department its highest accreditation standard.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) has awarded the Scarsdale Police Department an "Accreditation with Excellence" under the "Gold Standard Assessment" program. The award was given on March 21st at the commission's conference in Reno, NV.

The program is voluntary and requires an agency to comply with 484 sets of standards in such areas as policies and procedures, crime prevention, management, support services, community advocacy and personnel practices. The agency is required to submit periodic reports to CALEA, and undergoes a comprehensive onsite inspection by a team of CALEA assessors.

The Scarsdale Police Department was first accredited by CALEA in 1990 and has continuously maintained its accreditation status since then. This is the first time the agency has been awarded "Accreditation with Excellence," which requires compliance with 100 percent of mandatory standards and 80 percent of optional standards. The Scarsdale Police has previously been awarded "Flagship Agency" status, and has been designated as a "Meritorious Police Agency" for maintaining national accreditation status for more than 15 years.

Only 5 percent of agencies in the nation are CALEA-accredited, according to the Commission. Of those, only 20 percent receive "Accreditation with Excellence."

The Scarsdale Police Department has also been continuously accredited by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services since 1990.

Scarsdale Chief of Police Andrew A. Matturro said the accreditation "is an outstanding honor and achievement for the men and women of the Scarsdale Police Department. This is a validation of their exceptional work ethic and the highest level of professionalism."