Lowndes County 911 Maintains National Communications Accreditation by CALEA

Staff Report

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022

Lowndes County 911 was recently awarded by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Communications Re-Accreditation and was recognized for their accomplishments by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners during an appreciation event on Monday, November 7, 2022. 
 
Lowndes County is one of seven Georgia 911 Centers that currently holds the CALEA Public Safety Communications Accreditation. Accreditation lasts for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with assessed standards. The County was first awarded the accreditation in July 2003 and has maintained it ever since.
 
“To achieve the re-accreditation, the County needed to meet over 207 standards during the review process,” said Bill Slaughter, Chairman, Lowndes County Board of Commissioners. “I am extremely proud of the hard work and dedication the 911 Center employees put in every day to respond to calls for help from our residents.”
 
The primary mission of CALEA is to accredit public safety agencies, including communications centers, by using a national body of standards developed by law enforcement professionals. The CALEA assessment team is composed of public safety communications practitioners from similar out-of-state agencies. The assessors reviewed written materials, and videos and interviewed individuals to verify compliance before voting to approve the Lowndes County 911 Center’s re-accreditation.
 
CALEA Accreditation strengthens an agency’s accountability, both within the agency and the community, and can limit a communications center’s liability and risk exposure by demonstrating that standards for public safety communications are met.