The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (OLEAP) provides law enforcement agencies of the State of Oklahoma with an avenue to demonstrate that they meet commonly accepted minimum standards and best practices for efficient and effective operations.
Law enforcement executives who seek accreditation/certification under this Program will have every phase of their agency's operations reviewed as they pertain to Program Standards. They will make conscious decisions about policies and procedures, will have implemented those policies, and thoroughly trained their employees in their use.
Other disciplines such as medical and education accreditation programs served as the concept for law enforcement accreditation/certification. As with those widely accepted programs, law enforcement accredited agencies must meet or exceed an established set of professional standards and best practices.
The Program is endorsed by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET), the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG), the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) and the City Management Association of Oklahoma (CMAO).
For more information regarding the Accreditation/Certification Program, please contact Brittany Long at (844) 879-3793 or email chiefs@okchiefs.org.
Process and Timeline of the Accreditation Program
First, the Verification program ensures that the agency is complying with State Statute by having the 14 statutorily required policies, which should be completed in a couple of months. The best part about this program is that it is at no cost for OACP members and completed electronically. The Chief Law Enforcement Officer or someone assigned as Verification Manager would complete the request for directives form. The Verification Manager would be the person within the agency that we would contact if we have questions/concerns about the policies and the agency directives is where to list the agency’s policy number. Once the form is complete, email it to chiefs@okchiefs.org with a copy of each policy listed, which will be provided to the Assessors for processing. Once the Assessor approves the request, it would be placed on the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (OLEAC) agenda for recommended approval. Once OLEAC recommends approval, it goes to the OACP Executive Board for final approval.
After an agency has achieved verification, they can choose to move on to Certification, which could be completed within 6 months to 1 year. In the certification process, the agency would have to comply with 39 various standards. Once the agency is ready, we will have a team of Assessors conduct an on-site audit of the records to ensure compliance. There are costs associated with certification and it must be re-assessed every 4 years to ensure compliance. The agency would also be responsible for travel and hotel for the assessors during the on-site visits. Once the Assessors recommend approval, it goes to the OLEAC then on to the OACP Executive Board for final approval, like Verification.
After an agency has achieved certification, they can choose to move on to Accreditation, which we recommend attempting at one of the re-assessment site visits. The first re-assessment site visit would be 4 years after receiving certification. In this process, the agency must comply with about 170 standards. This also requires an on-site assessment and re-assessment every 4 years. The agency would still be responsible for the travel and hotel of the assessors during all on-site visits. After the Assessors recommend approval, it goes to the OLEAC then on to the OACP Executive Board for final approval, like Verification and Certification.