Program Standards are classified as either mandatory or optional. The Certification Program is comprised of mandatory standards only. The Accreditation Program is comprised of both mandatory and optional standards. Since all standards for Certification are part of the mandatory standards for Accreditation, Certification is considered a significant milestone toward Accreditation, the Commission’s highest award.
Agencies must meet all standards designated as mandatory unless the standard is not a function or responsibility of the agency. Mandatory standards generally impact officer and public safety, address high liability/risk management issues, or promote operational efficiency in the agency. Any standard deemed not applicable to an agency will be waived by the Commission through a formal waiver process initiated by the agency.
Pending an agency’s on-site assessment, the Commission’s Executive Director may provisionally approve Waivers. It will, however, be the responsibility of the Assessment Team to confirm the agency’s representation in the Waiver request during the agency’s on-site assessment. If confirmed, the reviewing Assessor and the Team Leader/Facilitator will recommend approval of the Waiver on the Commission’s Waiver Form.
Waiver information is included as part of the Assessment Team’s Final Report to the Commission for final approval by the Commission in considering an agency for Certification or Accreditation. Agencies may appeal waivers not approved by the Executive Director or the Assessment Team to the Commission, who will render a final, binding determination on whether an agency may waive compliance with a specific standard(s).
Optional standards are often considered enhancements to agency operations, including exemplary programs or activities.
The percentage of optional standards an agency must meet is based on agency size. Agency size is based on the total number of authorized (not actually hired or working) full-time sworn personnel.
| Percentage Table for Optional Standards | ||
| Authorized Full-Time Sworn Personnel | % of Standards | # of Standards |
| 1 – 50 | 55% | 66 |
| 51 – 100 | 60% | 72 |
| 101 – 200 | 65% | 78 |
| 201 – 300 | 70% | 84 |
| 301 + | 75 % | 90 |
The Commission has developed an Assessment Checklist for each program standard that contains the evaluation criteria for determining an agency’s compliance with the standard.
The Assessment Checklists are the Accreditation Manager’s Road Map to Certification and Accreditation.
Agencies are expected to meet both the letter and spirit of standards.
Letter and spirit mean functional compliance or compliance in practice, which means that agencies do what they say they do. While the Commission fully expects agencies to meet the letter and spirit of its standards, it recognizes that for initial Certification and Accreditation, the first step towards achieving standards compliance is often to commit to the standard in writing. The term “WET INK” describes these newly implemented written directives; some are so new that the agency cannot provide proof that the standard is being complied with at the time of the assessment.
At a minimum, functional compliance means:
- The written directive is in effect,
- The written directive is agency-specific and accurately reflects agency practice,
- The written directive has been disseminated to affected personnel, and
- All systems required by the standard are in place.
The Commission offers two professional credentialing programs: Certification and Accreditation.
The Certification Program currently consists of 178 standards, all of which are mandatory. These carefully selected standards impact officer and public safety, address high liability/risk management issues, and promote operational efficiency throughout an agency. Standards that are not a function or responsibility of the agency will be waived.
Certification is a significant milestone toward Accreditation, and agencies must achieve Certification before being assessed for Accreditation. The Accelerated Accreditation Program (AAP) allows agencies to be assessed on a select number of Certification standards along with the additional mandatory and optional standards needed for Accreditation when the agency’s assessment is conducted within twelve (12) months of the date of the completion of the agency’s Initial Certification Assessment.
The Commission offers two tiers in our professional credentialing program: Certification and Accreditation.
The Accreditation Tier of our program currently consists of 216 standards, 96 of which are mandatory, and 120 are optional. The accreditation standards expand and build on the 178 certification standards. As is the case with the Certification Tier of our program, any standard that is not a function or responsibility of the agency will be deemed not applicable and waived through a formal waiver process.
NOTE – The 178 standards required for certification, listed separately, are all part of the 274 mandatory standards for accreditation.