Accreditation in the context of law enforcement is the status awarded to an agency which has voluntarily submitted to meet a third-party, defined set of professional standards.Those standards may require the following: A comprehensive written directive system that clearly define authority, performance, and responsibilities of the agency and its employees, Reports and analyses to make fact-based and informed management decisions, Preparedness to address natural or man-made critical incidents, Community relationship-building to improve legitimacy of policing, Independent review by subject matter experts, Continuous pursuit of excellence through external assessment measures