FCPD Awarded State Accreditation for Sixth Time

We’re pleased to announce we just received our sixth accreditation award from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC).  We were the first agency in the state to be accredited through VLESPC in 1996 and have maintained this accreditation status each evaluation cycle.  The assessment requires us to adhere to 190 standards.

To verify compliance with the standards, a team of VLEPSC assessors conducted a three-day, on-site assessment.  Through file review, staff interviews, a ride-along, and discussions with leadership, they conducted a thorough evaluation of our department’s policies and procedures. With a great deal of praise, on May 11, the commission unanimously voted to award us with our sixth re-accreditation.

This is a particularly proud moment for Chief Roessler who served as accreditation manager when he was sergeant early in his career. Chief Roessler knows first-hand the benefits of accreditation and upon being appointed as Chief of Police, he set a departmental goal to not only strive for excellence through maintaining state accreditation, but to also attain national accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

CALEA accreditation was a rigorous process, which required compliance with 484 standards. We were awarded national accreditation through CALEA in July 2016 and are now one of only a few agencies in the state to hold both national and state accreditation status. Accreditation is an ongoing process that requires the department to align with the best professional practices in law enforcement.  Both state and national accreditation require on-site assessments every four years. The next assessment through CALEA will take place in 2020 and VLEPSC in 2021.