May 5, 2022

Howard Working to Assist Police Departments & Their Communities

This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.

Howard Working to Assist Police Departments & Their Communities

HARTFORD- To provide significant financial relief, State Rep. Greg Howard (R-43) hailed final House passage of his legislation that will allow police departments to seek Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training (CT POST) accreditation instead of the more expensive Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc (CALEA) accreditation which is the current state mandate.

“The POST standards are some of the highest standards in the country,” Rep. Howard said, “The cost to become accredited by CALEA is expensive and not easy to attain. There are many small police departments in the state, and this accreditation requirement will be difficult for these small departments. The POST certification would make certification attainable and affordable to many Connecticut Police Departments.”

The legislation SB-135, An Act Concerning Accreditation Standards for Law Enforcement Units, bill eliminates a requirement that units obtain and maintain accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) by 2025. Instead, by 2026, units must either (1) be certified as meeting the requirements for three state-accreditation tiers developed by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) or (2) meet a higher level of accreditation standards developed by CALEA. The bill also requires that the minimum standards and practices include compliance with specific POST guidance on reporting procedures for police officer certificate suspension, cancellation, or revocation. Under the bill, if a law enforcement unit fails to comply with the guidance, then POST may revoke the unit’s certificate of compliance with the appropriate state accreditation tier or tiers.

By not having the requirement of being CALEA certified, they could use Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) for their accreditation which is highly regarded and respected in the state. POST certification would make certification attainable and affordable to many Connecticut Police Departments.”

The legislation is supported by the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.