A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA ®) will arrive in Bismarck on April 2, 2018, to examine all aspects of the North Dakota Highway Patrol’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) will be participating in the Gold Standard Assessment. This voluntary assessment focuses primarily on processes and outcomes associated with standards specific to agency policies in order to measure the overall impact of accreditation on an agency.
Verification that NDHP meets CALEA’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to retain accreditation. “Verification by the assessment team is a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence,” stated Colonel Michael Gerhart.
As part of the on-site assessment, NDHP employees and members of the community are invited to a public information session on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, at 6 p.m. CDT at the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) located at 1320 Schafer Street, Bismarck.
Public comments may also be provided to the assessment team by telephone. The public may call (701) 260-5096 on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 from 1 – 3 p.m. CDT. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards.
Written comments concerning the North Dakota Highway Patrol’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation can be submitted as follows: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155-6693.
“The North Dakota Highway Patrol complies with 356 standards in order to maintain accredited status,” Colonel Gerhart said. “Accreditation assures the public that the North Dakota Highway Patrol is committed to our core mission – to make a difference every day by providing high quality law enforcement services to keep
The CALEA Program Manager for the North Dakota Highway Patrol is Mr. Tim Baysinger. The assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, conduct individual interviews and visit offices and other locations to observe compliance.
The assessors are Robert T. Johnson, retired Illinois State Police Lieutenant Colonel, and Lieutenant Robert Sanders currently with the Garden Grove Police Department. Once the CALEA Assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full CALEA Commission, which will then decide if the NDHP is to be granted accredited status.
Accreditation is granted for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with the accreditation standards.
For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155-6693; or call (703) 352-4225; or e-mail