ALEAP is a peer-driven, standards-based accreditation body. We:

• Develop and maintain professional standards specific to Arizona, covering areas such as use-of-force policy, evidence handling, communications operations, training, supervision, and community engagement.

• Train and deploy volunteer assessors — experienced practitioners from agencies across the state — who conduct independent, on-site reviews of agencies pursuing accreditation.

• Operate a Commission whose appointed members review assessor findings and make the final decision on whether an agency meets accreditation standards.

• Provide a structured framework that gives agencies a clear path to evaluate, document, and continuously improve their operations.
   

Accreditation through ALEAP signals that an agency has voluntarily opened its policies, procedures, and practices to outside review and has been verified to meet a set of professional benchmarks established by Arizona's law enforcement community.
 

Although our standards are developed and maintained in Arizona, they are grounded in nationally recognized best practices. We draw on guidance from national accrediting bodies, professional associations, model policies, and current case law, then adapt that guidance to reflect Arizona's statutes, communities, and operating realities. The result is a body of standards that holds Arizona agencies to the same level of professionalism expected of accredited agencies anywhere in the country, while remaining responsive to the conditions and expectations of the people we serve here.
 

For an agency, pursuing accreditation is a substantial multi-year commitment. The work involves reviewing hundreds of professional standards, building or refining the policies that govern nearly every function of the agency - patrol, investigations, communications, property and evidence, training, internal affairs, fiscal oversight, and community engagement - training personnel on those policies, and producing documented evidence that day-to-day practice matches what is written. Inside the agency, the effort is led by an accreditation manager and supported by command staff, line personnel, and civilian leadership. It does not end when accreditation is granted; agencies must maintain continuous compliance and undergo a full reassessment on a recurring cycle for as long as they remain accredited.