Policy and Accreditation

Police accreditation is a structured process through which a law enforcement agency evaluates its policies, practices, operations and training against established professional standards.

Accreditation is a voluntary process that provides an independent assessment of an agency’s commitment to professional excellence, accountability and continuous improvement. Agencies that successfully demonstrate compliance with the required standards receive formal recognition for meeting or exceeding those expectations. Accreditation reflects an assessment of the Department's policies and practices against established standards at the time of review. It is not a determination about any individual incident or employee action.

The accreditation process helps the Department:

• Strengthen accountability by establishing clear and consistent management practices.
• Promote fairness and consistency through sound personnel policies and practices.
• Enhance the quality of service provided to Scottsdale residents, visitors and the community.
• Promote continuous improvement in policies, procedures, training and daily operations.
• Strengthen public trust through transparency, professionalism and adherence to recognized law enforcement standards.

Accreditation provides value to both the Department and the community by:

• Providing independent validation that Department policies, practices and operations are measured against recognized professional standards.
• Encouraging best practices that can strengthen organizational effectiveness and reduce operational and legal risk.
• Creating a culture of continuous self-assessment and improvement throughout the organization.
• Reinforcing employee knowledge and understanding of Department policies, procedures and expectations.
• Encouraging broader organizational awareness by helping employees understand how their individual responsibilities contribute to the Department’s overall mission.
• Enhancing public confidence by demonstrating the Department’s commitment to professionalism, accountability, transparency and quality service.

Accreditation is more than meeting a set of standards. It is an ongoing commitment by the Department to examine how we serve our community, identify opportunities for improvement and strive to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and integrity.

The information on this page is provided for public information only and is not legal advice. Content reflects information available at the time of posting and may be updated, revised or removed without notice. Department policies are subject to change, and the official version maintained by the Department controls over any version posted online. Department policies and accreditation standards are for internal administrative and management purposes. They do not create any right, benefit or cause of action for any person and are not intended to establish a higher legal standard of safety or care in any civil or criminal proceeding.