The Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP) has developed and provides rules and regulations establishing an accreditation process that encourages and provides law enforcement agencies with a voluntary opportunity to demonstrate that they meet the model standards developed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Council. The Council consists of an Executive Board appointed by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. The Board was tasked by their respective associations with developing and maintaining a formal accreditation process specific to Illinois law enforcement agencies, including the development of a comprehensive set of professional standards.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program shall appropriately recognize law enforcement agencies as accredited that have applied and met the standards, criteria and regulations developed and established by the ILEAP accreditation body. The ILEAP constitutes the first joint effort of this type in the history of the State.

The goal of the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program is to make available a framework whereby the Illinois law enforcement community is provided a voluntary, relatively low-cost accreditation program that is comprehensive, obtainable, and based on standards that reflect professional service delivery. This framework incorporates community policing principles with the goal of building trust in the communities that these departments serve. In developing the program, the Board recognizes the limited financial and manpower resources of a great many departments, and developed standards that would not place overwhelming demands on those resources.

For additional information please contact Mark Wilkans, Office Manager, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police mwilkans@ilchiefs.org.