Chapter 3. Standards
What the standards are, how they are numbered, what a standard contains, and when one does not apply.
The standards adopted by MSLEAC should serve as a blueprint for agency policy.
They are not, however, the only resource the agency should explore. Mississippi law enforcement agencies have an excellent reputation regarding the sharing of information, especially in the area of policy development. Law enforcement agencies that have a long-term commitment to accreditation efforts can serve as a tremendous resource for those departments just starting the process. New Accreditation Managers seeking advice should never hesitate to contact other agencies involved in the process, or the staff of the Commission.
The standards for the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program are based upon a compilation of best-practice law enforcement standards from other state accreditation programs. The standards reflect the best professional practices in each area of police management, administration, operations, and support services. The standards prescribe what agencies should be doing, but not how they should be doing it. That decision is left up to the individual agency and its Chief or Sheriff.
Standard Categories
The standards address:
- Life, health and safety issues
- Legal and other critical requirements
- Conditions that reduce major risk and high liability exposures
Accreditation standards address a variety of issues, some of which include use of force, authority and jurisdiction; recruitment, selection, and promotion of personnel; training, discipline and internal affairs; patrol and criminal investigations; victim and witness assistance; traffic operations; prisoner transportation and holding facilities; records and communications; collection and preservation of evidence; and property and evidence control.
Naturally, all policies developed for the program standards must be developed in conformance with applicable Mississippi law and regulations. During the standards review and development process for state accreditation, each standard was evaluated by the Commission. Through this process, those standards which are most relevant and applicable to law enforcement in the State of Mississippi were specifically chosen and included in the Mississippi accreditation program. These standards, as well as other potential additions to the program, will be under constant review and consideration by the Commission. The applicable program standards are identified in a separate index in the printed manual, and are published in full at the standards.
Numbering System
Standards are numbered by chapter and by their order within that chapter. In standard 5.12, the 5 refers to the chapter — Operations — and the 12 to the standard's place in sequence within it.
The printed manual explains a three-part numbering scheme here, with an example carrying a chapter number the program does not have. No MSLEAC standard is numbered that way; the explanation appears to be inherited from one of the programs the Commission credits as a model. The two-part scheme above is the one the standards actually use.
There are nine chapters:
| Chapter | Title | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Role and Responsibility | 1.1 – 1.25 |
| 2 | Organization and Management | 2.1 – 2.10 |
| 3 | Personnel | 3.1 – 3.14 |
| 4 | Legal | 4.1 – 4.7 |
| 5 | Operations | 5.1 – 5.29 |
| 6 | Support Services | 6.1 – 6.14 |
| 7 | Communications | 7.1 – 7.8 |
| 8 | Temporary Holding Areas | 8.1 – 8.11 |
| 9 | Jail / Detention Facilities | 9.1 – 9.22 |
A few numbers are not in use — 6.11, 9.16 and 9.18 — because the standards they identified have been withdrawn. Numbers are never reused, so a gap in the sequence means exactly that, and not that anything is missing from your copy.
Chapters 8 and 9 are alternatives, not a pair. An agency with a temporary holding area answers to Chapter 8 and marks Chapter 9 not applicable; an agency with a jail or detention facility does the reverse. That makes 117 applicable standards for the first case and 126 for the second.
Components of a Standard
Standard statement. Each standard is identified by its specific number. The standard statement can be several sentences long and will describe the crux of the requirement. In some cases the standard statement also contains several bullets (a, b, c, and so on). Such bullets indicate specific points that must be addressed in the agency's directive — its policy statement — for compliance. Standard 1.14 is the manual's worked example of a standard with bullets.
Discussion. Following the standard statement is a narrative discussion. These discussions were developed to more fully define the intent of the particular standard. However, for assessment purposes, you are only required to comply with the standard statement.
Multiple components within a standard. The standard statement may contain more than one requirement. Each item within a standard will require proof of compliance.
Standards Containing the Word "If"
Some standards are "if" standards. For instance, if the law enforcement agency does not allow extra-duty employment, the agency is not required to develop a detailed policy regarding conditions of employment as stated in Standard 3.12. However, the agency must develop a written policy statement — a directive — regarding the prohibition of such employment.
Standards Not Applicable to the Agency
If your agency does not offer a service or function as required in a standard, then that standard does not apply to you and may be marked N/A. For example, if your agency does not have holding cells for prisoners, then your agency would simply mark N/A in the appropriate place on the Standard Compliance Form (SCF). A folder still needs to be created for each standard, whether applicable or not, but the SCF can simply be marked N/A.
Waiver from Standard Compliance
There are rare occasions when an agency may qualify for and receive a waiver. Waivers are available to agencies when it is impossible to comply with a specific standard. Examples include conflict with collective bargaining agreements or local ordinance.
A request to waive standard compliance must be made and approved via the Standard Compliance Waiver Form. This form is provided with the introductory materials. Please allow 90 days for approval.