Communications
The Public Safety Communications Accreditation Program provides a communications center, or the communications unit of a public safety agency, with a process to systemically review and internally assess its operations and procedures.
This program requires organizations to collect and analyze important data for the purpose of making sound operational and administrative business decisions, creating leadership and practitioner-accountability.
In addition, the focus is on quality assurance, interoperability, emerging technologies, risk analysis, asset security, resources access, contemporary training, and a range of other operational functions.
Eligibility
Participation in the Communications Accreditation Program is restricted to:
- Legally constituted governmental entities with a mandated responsibility to provide public safety communications services (stand-alone agencies).
- Component departments of public safety agencies that provide communications services.
- Private agencies with mandated public safety communications responsibilities, whose eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis by the Commission.
In all cases, the Commission will serve as the final authority in determining the eligibility of agencies to participate in its accreditation or other programs.
The Standards
APCO International (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, Inc.), the leading communications membership association, partners in the development and maintenance of the CALEA Standards for Public Safety Communications Agencies Manual.
The standards are subject to ongoing review and revision. When modifications are recommended, they are presented to the Commission's Standards Review and Interpretation Committee (SRIC) for consideration.
The standards are constructed with sensitivity to the number of full-time personnel employed by the agency as well as the agency’s mandated functional responsibilities. This strategy ensures agencies are accountable to relevant standards, which are also delineated into mandatory and other-than-mandatory categories.
NOTE: Agencies eligible to participate in more than one CALEA Accreditation program can apply the Multiple Accreditation Process Model. For more information please contact your Regional Program Manager.
Standard Example
6.1.5 Quality Checks
A written directive establishes a quality assurance program, and includes at a minimum:
a. Documented quality checks of employees' call-taking and dispatch performance
b. Frequency and quantity of quality checks
c. Process for telecommunicator feedback
d. Management reporting and review process.
Commentary
This can take the form of direct monitoring of calls or by playback of recordings. The quality checks should cover all aspects of the employee's performance to ensure compliance with agency directives and indicate areas where training or guidance are needed. Recordings of unique situations may be retained for training purposes. Best practices indicate that at least monthly quality checks have proven extremely valuable to ensure the quality of service provided to your customers. The reporting and review process should identify the distribution of the reports within the agency. (MMM)