Paul Luizzi, Fire Chief; Santiago Rodriquez, Police Chief

One of the 2021 City Manager goals, as established by Council, was to evaluate the potential benefits of pursuing accreditation in the Goodyear Fire and Police Departments and bring those findings back to Council in time for the FY2023 budget process. This Work Session is to review the findings and discuss possible pursuit of accreditations.

Staff will seek input and direction on Council’s interest in pursuing accreditations in the Goodyear Fire and Police Departments. Staff recommends that the Fire Department pursue the international accreditation conducted by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Staff also recommends that the Police Department first pursue the national accreditation conducted by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), followed by the Arizona Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ALEAP) accreditation in the future. (Julie Karins, City Manager)

Below are the anticipated direct costs associated with each accreditation. Based upon council discussion, funding for these programs would be requested through the annual budget process for FY2023. Accreditation is an organizational commitment that will have a resource impact on both departments as well as support departments. 
 

Department	Position Request	Annual Position Cost	One-Time Accreditation Cost		Ongoing Annual Accreditation Cost
Fire	Policy & Accreditation Manager (non-sworn)	$108,600	$16,000		$1,500
Police	Policy & Accreditation Manager (non-sworn)	$108,600	CALEA $16,125	ALEAP $1,000	CALEA $5,000	CALEA $5,000
Totals:		$217,200	$32,125	$33,125	$6,500	$2,000

The Fire Department became a registered agency in 2015, because it allows them to have a better understanding of the accreditation process and provides insight on becoming an accredited agency.

In order to promote excellence within our city, staff recommends pursuing accreditations in the Fire and Police departments. An accreditation will include an evaluation of our processes and services to promote transparency. Since our Fire and Police interact with the public daily, it will provide our community and residents with a higher sense of assurance and trust.

After analyzing all the accreditation options, staff recommends that the Fire Department pursue the international accreditation conducted by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Staff also recommends that the Police Department first pursue the national accreditation conducted by CALEA, followed by ALEAP accreditation in the future.