Rock Hill police receive sixth re-accreditation award

The Rock Hill Police Department has been recognized for 15 years of continuous excellence by a law enforcement accreditation agency.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, also known as CALEA, awarded Rock Hill police the Meritorious Gold Standard Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation based on its most recent assessment in December.

“I am proud of how hard the men and women of the Rock Hill Police Department work each and every day to serve the citizens of Rock Hill, and maintain the 484 standards that CALEA requires for us to maintain,” Chief Chris Watts said. “I am also proud of our ‘Meritorious’ designation for 15 years of continuous CALEA accreditation, which indicates our agency’s commitment to excellence.”

The commission assesses agencies every three years on the standards, said Capt. Mark Bollinger, a Rock Hill police spokesman. Police agencies submit documentation showing how they meet each standard, and two assessors from law enforcement agencies in other states spend a few days at the department to verify that the agency meets each standard.

Standards cover every aspect of law enforcement, from what uniforms officers wear and the weapons they carry to investigations, reporting incidents and patrol operations.

Bollinger said the assessors who evaluated Rock Hill were from police agencies in Georgia and Canada.

“They are neutral people who don’t know anything about our department,” he said. “They want to make sure we’re actually doing what we say we’re doing.”

Rock Hill has been accredited since 2001. Agencies are reassessed every three years, but Bollinger said the commission is shifting the assessments to every four years.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Rock Hill police receive sixth re-accreditation award."