The Role of Technology in Achieving Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation

For law enforcement agencies, accreditation through organizations like the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) or a state-level program such as the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs is often viewed as a clear sign of professionalism. However, other than several notable exceptions, accreditation is typically not mandated and is a voluntary process agencies choose to undergo.

Despite its benefits, the accreditation process is notoriously demanding and expensive. Agencies have to keep track of a long list of standards, update policies regularly, and produce proofs of compliance on an ongoing basis. Smaller agencies, in particular, struggle when one person is tasked with managing accreditation while also balancing other responsibilities.

However, in the last two decades, technology has become an important tool to lighten that workload. From policy management systems to training management software and early intervention tools, law enforcement technology helps agencies streamline documentation, consolidate data, and maintain accreditation with fewer resources.

Policy Management Systems: The Foundation of Accreditation

A policy management system is often the backbone of a law enforcement agency’s accreditation journey. It provides agencies with an easy way to update, share, and track policies. These policies are the written proof that assessors rely on during accreditation audits. Depending on the accrediting organization, it may also be a required aspect of achieving accreditation.

Paige Kransberg, a Senior Account Executive for Frontline with years of experience helping agencies choose the right technology for accreditation, emphasized the importance of strong policy management.

“The foundation of your accreditation process is the policies and procedures, so having some kind of document management system in place is always going to go hand in hand when you think compliance and accreditation,” she said.

Retired Chief of Police Rick Pinksaw and current Customer Success Manager at Vector Solutions agreed, adding that in his experience of over 25 years managing accreditation programs at his agencies, technology not only centralized policy management but also made it easier to meet specific standards.

“Leveraging technology makes everybody’s job easier,” he said. “Policies are essential to prove accreditation compliance.”

By moving policies and supporting documents into a digital system, agencies cut down on paper, avoid information silos, and make things more transparent across the organization. This digital foundation ensures that when accreditation assessors ask for proofs, like a written directive or policy, agencies can deliver it quickly and accurately instead of digging through binders or filing cabinets.

Training, Early Intervention, and Other Software Solutions

While policy management lays the groundwork, other law enforcement technology solutions such as training management systems and early intervention solutions, are just as important.

As highlighted by Kransberg, training is another key priority. Beyond standards related to how training is managed, accreditation standards may require certain training topics be included in annual training or continuing education requirements. By digitizing training records and certification tracking, agencies ensure compliance is both accurate and easily verifiable. However, for those agencies without a training management system, tracking and providing proofs of the required training can be extremely burdensome.

Pinksaw experienced this firsthand when overseeing training with pen-and-paper systems.

“Coordinating all that training by hand and storing all that paper was a burden,” he said, adding that by utilizing a training management system, both small and large agencies save time and reduce errors.

Beyond training, early intervention software is also critical. Depending on the accreditation program, just having an early intervention system may be a required standard. In addition, it also helps agencies keep records on things like use-of-force incidents, disciplinary actions, and even commendations, all areas that accreditation programs often review.

Together, these tools support many parts of daily operations and make it far easier to meet accreditation standards.

How software streamlines the accreditation process and saves time

One of the biggest advantages of law enforcement technology is the time it saves during accreditation. Accreditation is an ongoing event and agencies are constantly gathering, reviewing, and uploading proofs, which can take hundreds of hours if done by hand. For smaller departments, where leaders often juggle several roles, that workload can feel overwhelming.

According to Pinksaw, who managed accreditation processes both with and without digital solutions, utilizing technology saved a significant amount of time.

“I wasn’t just managing our accreditation. I was in charge of our property and evidence room, I was doing the budget, I was in charge of Investigations,” he said. “It saved me hundreds, if not thousands of hours a year.”

A vendor that offers single sign-on and system integration further eliminates the need to chase documents across multiple departments, reducing delays and errors.

Key time-saving benefits of law enforcement technology for accreditation include:

• Centralized access: Managers can access training, conduct, and policy records right away instead of waiting on others.
• Searchability: Records and key words can be searched to easily match proofs to the respective standards instead of digging through files or emailing coworkers to locate information.
• Ongoing updates: Instead of scrambling every few years to complete the reaccreditation process, agencies can stay on top of compliance and update proofs on a continuous cycle.

“Whatever you can do to save time in the accreditation process is critical. More importantly than anything else, it’s about perseverance. It’s an everyday task,” Pinksaw said.

What about other benefits, like continuity and stability?

Beyond policies, training, and efficiency, law enforcement technology also brings stability during leadership or staff changes, which are often moments when accreditation status can be most at risk.

“One of the most critical times is when an accreditation manager leaves. If I left, all that knowledge went with me,” Pinksaw said.

Technology makes the process easier to repeat and keeps things on track when responsibilities change hands. Without it, a new or inexperienced manager may struggle to pick up where their predecessor left off.

Furthermore, failing to achieve reaccreditation can be a major blow to public perception of the agency.

“That accreditation status is so public…imagine being the Chief and you happen to lose your accreditation manager and simultaneously you lose your accreditation status,” Kransberg said.

Keeping records digitally and easy to access helps agencies avoid disruptions, hold onto their accreditation, and protect their reputation.

Simplify Accreditation Management with Vector Solutions

For agencies considering accreditation or seeking to maintain it more effectively, the message is clear: investing in technology is an investment in time, efficiency, and long-term excellence.

If your agency is exploring law enforcement accreditation or looking to strengthen its processes, now is the time to see how law enforcement technology can help!

To learn more about how Vector Solutions can support achieving or maintaining accreditation at your agency, please request a demo today.

Vector Solutions’ suite of industry-leading software solutions includes training management systems, online training courses, FTO and live skill evaluations, academy automation, equipment and inventory management, shift scheduling, and an early intervention and conduct management system.