The City of Knoxville is the first city in the United States to receive the TRI-ARC Excellence Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Mayor Bill Haslam announced today.

The award was created by CALEA to recognize that three divisions of the City have earned accreditation from the organization. The KPD Training Academy is the most recent division to be accredited, joining the Police Department and Knox County Emergency Communications District.

"Earning accreditation is hard work and is a reflection of the professionalism and dedication of the men and women of the Knoxville Police Department," said Mayor Haslam. "I appreciate their achievement and thank them for the honor they bring to our City."

"Adhering to these accreditation standards means that our officers are receiving the best training - and using that training wisely - which translates into a safer community," said Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV. "This is a remarkable achievement of which our citizens should be proud."

The awards were announced Saturday at CALEA's annual meeting in Austin, Texas.

The KPD Training Academy began preparing for accreditation in January 2003, and is among the first city training facilities in the country to achieve this goal.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. CALEA has been accrediting law enforcement agencies in North America since 1984; and began accrediting Public Safety Communications Agencies in 1999 and Public Safety Training Academies in 2002.