Since the first Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) Accreditation Award was granted in 1993, the Gaithersburg Police Department has voluntarily demonstrated 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. They provide a process to systematically conduct an internal review and assessment of the agencies’ policies and procedures, and make adjustments wherever necessary to meet a body of internationally accepted standards.

The Gaithersburg Police Department received its eighth accreditation award in November 2016. The CALEA Commissioners and staff presented the Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation.

The Commission for Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. maintains an access portal which allows for comment and feedback with regard to agencies seeking reaccreditation status. The link for public comment for the Gaithersburg Police Department can be found on the CALEA website here. Access is provided as an opportunity for comments, commendations, and other information regarding the agency's quality of service or other information relevant to the accreditation process.

Learn more about CALEA at www.calea.org.