Hawai‘i Police Department’s CALEA accreditation renewed

In a historic achievement, the Hawai‘i Police Department was honored with its fourth consecutive Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Award during a ceremony on Nov. 11 in Bellevue, Washington.

Achieving CALEA accreditation is a challenging process in which the department must continuously demonstrate every year during a four-year cycle that it complies with more than 400 rigid CALEA standards.

It involves a dedicated team of department personnel reviewing and—when necessary—revising the department’s General Orders, policies and procedures to ensure they all met CALEA standards.

Every year of the accreditation process a CALEA Service Manager conducts a web-based assessment, inspecting HPD’s files and interviewing personnel. In the fourth year of the accreditation cycle, a team of certified CALEA assessors conducts an on-island assessment, visiting district police stations and facilities, examining all aspects of the department while focusing on HPD programs, their outcomes and effectiveness.

The national assessment team, which held their on-island assessment in August, also conducted interviews with various community leaders to gauge HPD’s accreditation impact on the community.

The final step of the accreditation renewal process featured members of the department, including  Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz, Deputy Chief Reed Mahuna, and HPD Accreditation Section staff appearing before the national CALEA review committee to present and answer questions about the department’s programs and outcomes. The review committee met during the CALEA fall conference held November 8-11 in Bellevue, Washington, and announced on the final day of the conference that HPD received accreditation renewal under the CALEA Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation program.

During the committee review, Police Chief Moszkowicz formally recognized the department’s Accreditation Section members for their dedication and hard work in achieving this coveted recognition. The HPD Accreditation Section is led by Lieutenant Levon Stevens and staffed by Sergeant Matthew Bartz, Sergeant Brian Souki, and Clerk III Keahi Armitage.

“With only 4% of police departments nationwide achieving CALEA accreditation, this recognition solidifies Hawai‘i Police Department’s position as a leader in public service,” said Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz.

“Our department’s Accreditation team works daily to ensure our department maintains the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and community service, and I am immensely proud of their unwavering commitment to help us achieve this prestigious accreditation.”

Of the roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, only about 793 are CALEA accredited. HPD first achieved accreditation 11 years ago, on Nov. 17, 2012, and was reaccredited twice on Nov. 21, 2015, and Nov. 16, 2019.

Being CALEA accredited can limit a department’s exposure to liability risk because accreditation demonstrates that a team of independent assessors has verified that the department meets internationally recognized standards. CALEA Accreditation also assists in the department’s relentless pursuit of professional excellence and its commitment to its community with the highest quality of public safety service.

Community members seeking more information about CALEA and the accreditation process can visit the CALEA website at calea.org. For questions about the Hawai‘i Police Department’s accreditation program, please contact Lieutenant Levon Stevens at 808-961-2260.