Accreditation Unit

The Office of Privacy and Compliance also oversees the Accreditation Unit responsible for maintaining national law enforcement accreditation and state law enforcement certification.  Since November 21, 1998, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®).  GBI is also certified by the State of Georgia Law Enforcement Certification Program through the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.  

CALEA® is the nonprofit organization that accredits law enforcement agencies internationally. Standards are developed to help law enforcement agencies achieve the following: increase agency capabilities to prevent and control crime; enhance agency effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of law enforcement services; improve cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies and other components of the criminal justice system; and increase citizen and staff confidence in the goals, objectives, policies and practices of the agency.  Participation in the accreditation program is voluntary.

In 2013, the GBI received the prestigious CALEA ® Accreditation with Excellence Award.  The award is designed to acknowledge CALEA Accredited public safety agencies that have demonstrated success in the accreditation process.  The program also serves to provide other agencies seeking accreditation with examples of “best practices” on how to address compliance, policy development, file maintenance, and other issues relating to the accreditation process.  The CALEA ® Accreditation with Excellence Award attaches to the agency’s accreditation award for a period of three years.