CALEA Accreditation

The Clayton Police Department distinguishes itself annually as an internationally recognized accredited agency. In 2009, the Department became the first law enforcement agency in Johnston County – and one of only five departments of its size in the State – to earn the highly-valued recognition for professional excellence from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALE.A) The Department has worked diligently over the last several years to maintain our accreditation status. This includes evaluating and revising policies, procedures, and practices to ensure we remain in compliance with these nationally recognized standards.

Since the first CALEA Accreditation Award was granted in 1984, the program has become the primary method for an agency to voluntarily demonstrate its commitment to excellence in law enforcement. The standards upon which the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program is based reflect the current thinking and experience of law enforcement practitioners and researchers. Major law enforcement associations, leading educational and training institutions, governmental agencies, as well as law enforcement executives internationally, acknowledge CALEA’s Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies and its Accreditation Programs as benchmarks for professional law enforcement agencies. CALEA Accreditation is a continuous process and is the foundation for a successful, well-managed, transparent, community-focused public safety agency. (SOURCE: CALEA).

In November of 2023, the Clayton Police Department was awarded Law Enforcement Accreditation for the Fifth time. Our agency is honored to receive this prestigious award once again and will continue to be dedicated to the accreditation process.

CALEA maintains a public feedback access portal that is provided as an opportunity for members of the community to submit comments, commendations, and other information regarding an agency's compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. The portal can be accessed on CALEA’s website here.

This portal is not for filing complaints or specific officer commendations with the department, as the information submitted is sent to CALEA staff members and not the police department. CALEA is not an investigatory body, and the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes.