By Alex Benzegala
Panhandle Post
The Alliance Police Department recently was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, law enforcement program called CALEA.
The Police Department went through a multi-year assessment phase that included intense site-based testing to determine accreditation and they were awarded the accreditation on July 29. Alliance Police Chief Phil Lukens says that CALEA makes sure that they take care of things like having a backup generator at their Law Enforcement Center, making sure their patrol cars have the right equipment, etc.
Lukens says that a major positive of the CALEA accreditation is that it holds the Alliance Police Department to very high standards.
"Part of this process is that we need somebody on the outside that's looking at how we're doing business and understands law enforcement," Lukens said. "They make sure we're doing business properly but also helps the community realize that there's a higher level of trust because they can see what we're providing, what we're doing is vetted, and we're not just doing our own thing."
With Alliance’s accreditation, they are now the only Police Department in the Panhandle with that accreditation. The CALEA accreditation lasts four years and Lukens says the department can renew their accreditation in 2027.