Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program 

ILEAP Infographic on Benefits

PROGRAM:  Accreditation is the ongoing process whereby agencies evaluate policy and procedure against established criteria, and have compliance with those criteria verified by an independent and authoritative body, the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Council. The criteria, or standards, are policy development guidelines that represent a level of quality service delivery. The true indicator of compliance, however, lies with an evaluation by trained, independent professional peers. The establishment of meaningful and professional standards and an evaluation for compliance to those standards are, therefore, the two fundamentals of an accreditation program.  

THE STANDARDS:  The standards are divided into four general subject areas: Administration, Operations, Personnel, and Training. All are mandatory except for those that are “not applicable” by function. The two tiers are not based on size, but on how comprehensive the accreditation.  

  • Tier One has 69 standards;
  • Tier Two has 181 standards.  

DIRECT COSTS:  

Annual fee: Effective January 1, 2019, departments first applying for ILEAP accreditation or applying for reaccreditation after January 1, 2019, will be assessed an annual fee of $400 for Tier 1 accreditation or $800 annually for Tier 2 accreditation. The first annual payment is due at the time of application, and that would satisfy the current year’s fee. The date of payment of the application fee is considered the first year of the annual cycle. Then the annual fee in subsequent years would be due any time during the calendar year, but the department will be invoiced in January each year.

Agencies that applied for or received accreditation or reaccreditation before January 1, 2019, will not begin paying the annual fee until the year of their next reaccreditation occurs.

Agency on-site assessment expenses will be for lodging and food for the assessors. There are no travel fees, per diems or assessor stipends. The award ceremony will be at a site chosen by the agency.  

PowerDMS mandatory: Agencies must use the PowerDMS software while participating in the ILEAP program. This is a separate cost from the annual ILEAP fee.

ASSESSMENT:  The assessment consists of two to three days of file review prior to arrival, department tours, vehicle inspection, interviews, ride alongs, and an exit interview. Two or more assessors will be assigned and they will work with the Accreditation Manager to have all aspects of the on-site assessment scheduled over a two day time period. There is a two-hour public opinion phone-in session, but no public hearing. The exit interview is conducted at the conclusion of the on-site. The on-site can be accomplished in two days because most of the files will be reviewed off-site prior to the assessors’ arrival.  

COUNCIL REVIEW:  The lead assessor submits an Assessment Report to the ILEAP Committee Chair, who reviews and distributes the report to the Council for its review and action. If granted, accreditation is valid for four (4) years (an annual report is required). 

AWARD CEREMONY:  A member of the ILEAP Council or the ILACP Board of Officers will present the award certificate at a local ceremony hosted by the agency (City Council Meeting, Department Meeting, etc.)  

CONTACT INFORMATION: ILEAP Director, Macomb Police Department Interim Chief Jeff Hamer, 309.333.0684, [email protected]