If an agency cannot comply with a standard because of legislation, labor agreements, court orders, or case law, waivers can be sought from the Commission. That decision is left up to the individual agency and its Chief Executive Officer. The principal publication of standards is the Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies . This last edition contains 439 standards organized into 38 chapters. The chapters are grouped according to similarities or topic areas.
Unused numbers allow for new chapters or future realignment.