For the past five days, the Slidell Police Department has been undergoing a rigorous test in order to get their national re-accreditation by the Commission for Law Enforcement Agencies.

A team of assessors from CALEA flew in Saturday and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. They peered and poked into every aspect of operations for the SPD to make sure they met the CALEA standards to be a nationally accredited police force.

Monday evening, members of the public had a chance to tell the assessment team their opinions of the SPD in an open forum held at the Slidell City Council Chambers. CALEA team leader Capt. Phil Patrone of the Knoxville, Tenn. Police Department said the Slidell police force had to meet 464 strict standards.

“It’s been quite a learning experience,” said Slidell Police Chief Randy Smith, who is going through his first accreditation process.

Patrone said he and his team started out Saturday by looking at all the police vehicles and police equipment to make sure they meet the CALEA standards.

“We look at all the best practices in a department, management, safety, personnel and equipment,” Patrone said.

The police force undergoes a re-accreditation process every three years, and has been doing it since former Mayor Ben Morris was the police chief back in the 1990s. The last time the SPD went through the process was December 2007.

Speaking at the public forum Tuesday, Councilman Bill Borchert said he has seen a “noticeable improvement” since the accreditation process started.

A police force can say they are meeting the standards, but they have to prove it, by keeping records. Robin Anderson of the SPD is the accreditation manager and makes sure all the paperwork is correct and that the department has been meeting its goals. Patrone and his team spend most of their time poring over the paperwork.

“It’s all about accountability,” Smith said.

Patrone said he loves his job on the assessment team because he learns something from every police department.

“From what I’ve seen, these are exceptional people, and they really care about their citizens,” he said.

Smith said that everybody in the department, including reserve officers and crossing guards are part of the accreditation process.

“I’m very proud of how everybody stepped up to the plate,” Smith said.

Local businessman, Jack Francioni said the SPD has made Slidell a safe place to live, and the police are very involved in the community.

“This is a very strong police department, and it makes me proud to live here,” Francioni said.

The police department will learn if they will be re-accredited before the end of the year.