The Wyoming Department of Public Safety is one of 11 law enforcement agencies in the State of Michigan who have been accredited according to the international standards of CALEA. Accredited police agencies show compliance to approximately 484 standards of professional police practices and represent the best in police services. The standards address major law enforcement subjects, including:
- Role, responsibilities and relationships with other agencies
- Organization, management and administration
- Personnel administration
- Law Enforcement operations, operational support, and traffic law enforcement
- Transparency and accountability to the community
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety earned its initial CALEA accreditation status in March of 2012. We received our third re-accreditation in April of 2022 based on assessments which took place in 2021. To achieve this re-accreditation, Public Safety Chief Koster’s administrative team consisting of Captain Eric Wiler, Captain Timothy Pols, Lieutenant Brian Look and Sergeant Jeremy Walter presented two web-based assessments in 2021 and one virtual on-site assessment. A team of assessors evaluated the agency’s policies and procedures and compared them with proven best practices. Assessors also conducted interviews with department staff, community members, and other stakeholders.
“… it is apparent that the Wyoming Department of Public Safety values community partnerships…throughout the assessment, comments were received concerning agency personnel and practices were positive, stressing cooperation, quality of service, and professionalism.” -CALEA ASSESSMENT TEAM
The on-site assessment team also provided feedback regarding challenges facing the department, including strategic planning related to staffing, the opioid crisis, and the increase of violence in our community. Plans are in place to continue to address these important issues.
In 2022, Chief Koster was appointed to the CALEA Board of Commissioners. The 21-member Commission is made up of eleven law enforcement practitioners with the balance selected from the public and private sectors. Generally, the Commission reflects a representation from local, state/provincial, and international law enforcement and public safety organizations, along with business, academia, the judiciary, and state/provincial and local government. Commissioners are appointed in consultation with the four founding organizations and serve without compensation. Commissioners serve three-year, staggered terms.
The Commission meets to review candidate agencies for accreditation and provide policy guidance for Commission operations.
CALEA Accreditation is a coveted award that symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and competence. The community and police department can take pride in their department, knowing it represents the very best in law enforcement.
Anyone wishing to provide comments regarding our agency's compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status, may provide comments to CALEA through the following Public Comment Portal:
https://cimrs2.calea.org/811
These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide our agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.
IMPORTANT: CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes. Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgment of submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.