Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation  

Through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., CALEA®…

The Township of Mahwah Police Department is a nationally accredited law enforcement agency.

What is CALEA® and what does it mean to the Mahwah Police Department?

This organization was created in 1979 by a combination of the efforts of four law enforcement organizations.

• The International Association of Chiefs of Police

• The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

• The National Sheriff's Association

• The Police Executive Research Forum

Each of these organizations function in an advisory capacity to CALEA and are responsible for appointing members of the Commission. The Commission was formed for two main reasons:

• To develop a set of law enforcement standards

• To establish and administer an accreditation process through which law enforcement agencies could demonstrate voluntarily that they meet professionally-recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery

CALEA Accreditation Benefits

The Mahwah Police Department benefits from this process in the following ways:

• Ensures a sense of well being and safety in the hearts and minds of members of our community

• Provides dollar and cents return on liability insurance coverage

• Makes our jurisdiction more attractive to economic and community development

• Assures Governmental leaders of Law Enforcement quality

• Provides International Recognition and a venue for employee pride and morale

• Provides the ability for the agency to analyze its delivery of services, measure its culpability, administer consistent discipline, and insulate itself against civil litigation

• Provides assurance the members of the Mahwah Police Department are trained and are functioning in line with established departmental policies and procedures

• Ensures that all policies and procedures are solidly documented in written form

• Reinforces confidence that the agency is operating at an acceptable level of standards for the profession

• Facilitates a solid review of the agency's status and readiness

CALEA Re-Accreditation

2003 • 2006 • 2009 • 2012 • 2015 • 2018 • 2019 • 2022 • 2025 • 2026

In 2003, the Mahwah Police Department was the 5th police agency in New Jersey to be Nationally Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The Department achieved re-accreditation in March 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Most recently, the Mahwah Police Department was reaccredited for the ninth time in May 2025.

We’ve been nationally accredited for 23 years, only 5% of agencies in the US hold this gold standard of excellence. 

The Mahwah Police Department's Accreditation Team has dedicated countless hours of time to maintaining records of changes within the agency and modifying the policies that reflect those changes. They ensure the accreditation process continues as seamlessly as possible.

To learn more about the accreditation process, visit the CALEA web site at www.calea.org.