Los Alamos Police Sgt. Daniel Roberts, left, and Cpl. Jack Casias look through documents to meet the standards required for a national accreditation for the department. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com
By MAIRE O’NEILL
Los Alamos Daily Post
Los Alamos Police Sgt. Daniel Roberts is knee-deep in the Department’s quest to be nationally-accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
As the LAPD Accreditation manager, Roberts has spent 22 months reviewing, rewriting and organizing some 800 pages of Department policies and procedures to bring them into line with CALEA standards.
In addition to his job with LAPD, Roberts, a U.S. Army captain, is the commander of the Army National Guard 1209th Area Support Medical Company. Born and raised in Los Alamos, he enlisted in the active Army in 2003 and completed two overseas tours as a helicopter crew chief before returning to school in an officer training program.
He commissioned in to the New Mexico National Guard in 2009 and became Commander in 2014. His company includes doctors, dentists, physician assistants, nurses and medics who deploy to natural and man-made disasters throughout New Mexico and the world.
CALEA national accreditation usually takes 36 months or more and LAPD has been working on its accreditation for 22 months so far. Most of the work involves making sure the Department’s policies meet the applicable national standards and developing proofs of compliance. The original 800 pages have now been pared down to 580, which include many new policies and procedures to better serve the Department. Roberts says the LAPD is now compliant with more than 400 required CALEA standards.
Chief Dino Sgambellone said he is very proud of the work Roberts and Casias have done in preparing the Department for the accreditation.
“The entire Department has worked very hard to get us to where we are today,” Sgambellone said. “I am looking forward to a successful on-site inspection by CALEA in the near future.”
Roberts is using a program called PowerDMS, which has enabled him to condense two huge filing cabinets of material into a searchable online resource. Once the Department receives its accreditation, it will be required to meet CALEA’s updated standards every three years. Roberts says the accreditation process is important for the whole Department.
“It is a checks and balances system that allows us to look at every facet of our agency to make it the best it can be,” he said. “This process will increase both community and staff confidence in LAPD.”
CALEA’s goals include strengthening crime prevention and control capabilities, formalizing essential management procedures, establishing fair and non-discriminatory personnel practices and improving service delivery. Roberts says the CALEA standards give the Department a proven management plan, with written directives, comprehensive training and clearly-defined responsibilities.
Many police departments involved in the CALEA process have accreditation teams with both police and civilian members. Roberts has been a one-man team since the process began but has had assistance for the past few months from Cpl. Jack Casias who he says has been a tremendous help gathering proofs. Policies and procedures are reviewed by Department Command Staff and other subject matter experts as well as County legal and human resources staff and LAPD union officials.
“Everyone in the Department has a good understanding of why we are doing this, so we have had lots of help and support,” Roberts said.
Casias said he is learning about many new areas of the Department’s operations.
“I’m seeing stuff I never would have seen in my career,” said Casias, who is off street-duty due to an injury.
Roberts said he is not planning on going back to the street, that he really enjoys what he is doing. In addition to being responsible for accreditation, Roberts supervises liaison with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, all evidence for the Department and the active shooter program. He has a degree in criminology from the University of New Mexico and holds a Masters in Criminal Justice from the American Military University.
