Canton Police Department Awarded State Law Enforcement Certification Renewal

Cpt. M. Baldwin, Lt. R. Campbell, Coordinator Chuck Grover, Mark Gavala, Chief Stephen Merrifield, Deputy Chief W. Turner, Cpt. J. Tucker 

On November 2, 2021, an assessment team from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) conducted an in-depth assessment of the department’s State Certification standards and proofs to ensure that the agency is in compliance with the process for certification renewal. The department received its initial State Certification in 1999. On Thursday, December 16, 2021, at the City Council meeting, Charles "Chuck" Grover, Coordinator of State Certifications congratulated the department by presenting a plaque for successfully completing the audit. While presenting the plaque, he stated "Being certified is a very very important part of being a police department and something as members of the city council, and the mayor and city manager you should be very proud of your department". He added, "In law enforcement, it's something they chose to do, it's totally voluntary, nobody making them do it, they do it because they want to be the best they can be". In addition, the Team Leader for the Assessment Team was extremely complimentary of the agency’s Certification Officer, Mark Gavala, and employees for their attention to detail, assistance, and cooperation provided to the team during the assessment.

There are many benefits associated with this Official recognition:

To the Community:

• 
  Certification increases the law enforcement agency’s ability to prevent crime and social disorder through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services to the public.
• Certification enhances community understanding of the law enforcement agency and its role in the community as well as its goals and objectives.
• Certification, in conjunction with the philosophy of community policing, commits the agency to a broad range of programs (such as crime prevention through environmental design, Coffee with a Cop, National Night Out...etc) that directly benefit the community.
• Certification creates a forum in which police and citizens work together to control and prevent crime. This partnership will help citizens to understand the challenges that confront law enforcement. Law Enforcement will, in turn, receive clear direction from the community about its expectations.

To the Agency / City:

• Certification requires that agency policies and procedures are in written form and are available to all agency personnel at all times.
• Certification assures employees that every aspect of the agency’s personnel system is in accord with professional standards and that the system is both fair and equitable.
• The morale of the agency is enhanced by increasing the employee’s confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of their agency. The operations of the agency become more streamlined and consistent.
• Certification standards address safety issues and ensure all employees receive proper equipment and adequate training.
• Certification is a coveted award that symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and competence. Employees will take pride in their agency, knowing that it represents the very best in law enforcement.
• Certification increases cooperation and coordination among other law enforcement agencies and other branches of the criminal justice system.
• The certification process requires an in-depth review of every aspect of the agency’s organization, management, operations, and administration.
• The certification standards provide norms against which agency performance can be measured and monitored over time.
• Certification provides objective measures to justify decisions related to budget requests, operational needs, and personnel policies.
• Certification serves as a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of the agency’s programs and services. The services provided are defined and uniformity of service is assured.
• Certification streamlines operations, providing more consistent and more effective deployment of agency resources.

Chief Merrifield said "I am very appreciative of the hard work our Certification Manager, Mr. Mark Gavala, has performed in order to maintain our State Certification. I feel this is an important step in assuring our community that we are transparent, well trained, and current on the best practices of the law enforcement profession".