Columbia Police Chief W. H. “Skip” Holbrook announces that representatives from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, (CALEA®), nationally known as the ‘gold standard in public safety,’ will examine all aspects of the Columbia Police Department’s (CPD) policies and procedures, management operations, and support services from June 2 – 5, 2025.
Team Leader Assistant Chief Eric Kerns of Burlington Police Department, Burlington, North Carolina and Team Member Lieutenant Pamillia Johnson of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office are the assessors during this review period.
As the credentialing authority, CALEA® will determine if CPD will maintain its status as a nationally accredited agency and continue its compliance with the Commission. The accreditation status lasts four (4) year terms, during which time the CPD has submitted annual reports and participated in annual web-based assessments attesting continued compliance with the 461 CALEA® standards.
Chief Holbrook says, “CPD has continually maintained its accreditation status since 2017. Obtaining national advanced law enforcement accreditation demonstrates the CPD’s high professional standards in providing public safety services to its citizens.”
As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments, commendations, and other information regarding the agency’s quality of service or other information relevant to the accreditation process using the following link:
https://cimrs2.calea.org/731. This link is specific to the Columbia (SC) Police Department.
There will be no response other than an acknowledgement to your submission. Additionally, the information received will only be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® accreditation. If you have questions related to the accreditation process, please direct them to our Accreditation Director Felicia Prince-Heath: [email protected] or 803.545.3398.
Please note that CALEA is not an investigatory body; therefore, the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes.
According to its website, CALEA® was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).