August 05, 2020

RCPD awarded meritorious re-accreditation

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For the tenth consecutive time, the Rapid City Police Department has been awarded accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

In May of 2020, a team of CALEA assessors virtually toured the agency and conducted interviews of RCPD personnel, associated criminal justice agencies, and community organizations. The assessment team worked to verify that the RCPD complies with more than 450 standards which represent the most progressive policies and procedures among worldwide law enforcement agencies. These standards cover four basic areas: Policies and Procedures, Administration, Operations, and Support Services.

The CALEA Commissioners made the final determination on accreditation at an awards conference on July 31st. The RCPD was again found to be in compliance with all standards, and awarded Meritorious Advanced Accreditation.

In their report to CALEA, the site assessment team reported, “The Rapid City, South Dakota Police Department is the only Police Department in South Dakota to be CALEA-accredited. The agency is exceptionally proud of this distinction and their on-going efforts with accreditation. The Department leadership continually look for ways to better serve their constituents and address quality of life issues with their numerous community programs.”

Additionally, the site assessment team noted, “There are several model programs within this focus area that the agency has implemented, many assisted through grant funding, which enable the Rapid City Police Department to better engage with their community and build effective partnerships with public and private stakeholders. Some of these programs include the Quality of Life and Care Campus; the IACP Collective Healing Initiative; and the most recently obtained Community Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) program. These innovative programs allow the agency to identify and address the root causes of issues that are often labor and time-intensive, strain staff and resources, and have historically caused division within the community. The agency has been visionary, transparent, and collaborative, leading the effort to address quality of life and safety issues within their community through these innovative programs.”

“The citizens of Rapid City should be extremely proud of the men and women of the RCPD that go to work day-after-day to provide the highest quality law enforcement services to their community,” says Interim Chief of Police Don Hedrick. “With this award of the agency’s tenth CALEA accreditation, these qualities are further validated and I am committed to ensuring this high level of operation, dedication, and progressive police-work is continued as the RCPD works to make Rapid City the safest place it can be.”

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