Police department re-accredited

The College of Lake County Police Department (CLCPD) demonstrated its high standards and professionalism with its re-accreditation from the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP).

Created in 2010, ILEAP is the accreditation authority for the state of Illinois. It was created to help local police departments demonstrate their achievement of the highest standards. CLCPD was previously accredited in 2019.

“Maintaining ILEAP accreditation is very important to the CLC Police Department,” said CLC Police Chief Brian Henry. “One of our goals is to be at and surpass the industry standard, and ILEAP accreditation assists us in accomplishing that. I appreciate the dedication of my team, in particular, Officers Scott Heimos and Gary DuHamel, for their hard work on this project.”

ILEAP aims to make police organizations better by evaluating policy and procedures against established criteria.

The accreditation process is rigorous, taking many months. The assessment consists of a file review prior to arrival, department tours, vehicle inspections, interviews, ride-alongs and an exit interview. There is also a two-hour public opinion phone-in session and an exit interview conducted at the conclusion of the on-site review.

Only 70 Illinois agencies have achieved accreditation since the program was launched. CLCPD is one of nine departments that serve colleges and universities to be accredited.