DATE: Tuesday, November 25, 1997            TAG: 9711250588
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   30 lines

BEACH POLICE RECEIVE THEIR THIRD STRAIGHT NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCREDITATION

The Police Department has received its third consecutive accreditation from a national law-enforcement organization, city officials said Monday.

It is the only Hampton Roads police department, and one of three in the state, to receive the professional honor, according to a city statement. And the department is one of just 25 in the country that have received a third accreditation, the statement said.

The professional award, from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., means the Police Department met a series of 400 standards set by that organization. The fee charged by the accrediting agency to scrutinize the department was about $10,000.

Becoming an accredited agency is voluntary, and many departments here and across the country don't request the examination. The agency said accreditation may control insurance costs and may offer a stronger defense to lawsuits and citizen complaints.

A three-member panel of assessors reviewed all aspects of the Police Department during five days in September. On Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., the accreditation agency awarded its satisfactory appraisal.

The accreditation is good for three years. The Police Department must submit annual reports.

The department was first accredited in 1987.

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