HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) awarded the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center (HRECC) national accreditation this month in the agency’s Communications program.

Accreditation is earned following a multi-year self-assessment phase and a meticulous site-based assessment of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA assessors.

HRECC Interim Director Ben Zimmerman and Accreditation Manager April Corbin attended CALEA’s conference this month in Jacksonville, FL., where they went before CALEA’s 21-member Board of Commissioners which reviews all findings and determines agencies’ accreditation status.

According to a release, the 9-1-1 call center received 55,592 emergency calls in 2024, and an additional 164,335 non-emergency and administrative calls. The department answered emergency calls within 10 seconds more than 94 percent of the time, and within 15 seconds nearly 99 percent of the time. That’s compared to the national standard of answering 90 percent of calls within 15 seconds and 95 percent of calls in 20 seconds.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our telecommunicators and support staff at HRECC,” Zimmerman said. “In spite of many challenges throughout the accreditation period our staff continues to rise to the occasion, providing world-class service to the citizens of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. I would like to especially credit April Corbin, our accreditation manager, who works tirelessly to ensure that the HRECC understands and incorporates the many professional standards on which we are assessed. This award would not have been possible without her efforts.”

HRECC was first accredited in November 2011, with this being the organization’s fifth award of national accreditation. The department now moves into CALEA’s four-year accreditation cycle that includes four annual remote, web-based file reviews and a site-based assessment in the fourth year.

“This award of accreditation does not come easy,” CALEA President Matthew Packard said. “Agencies must go through a rigorous review and evaluation of their organization and then implement the necessary policy and procedure changes. The process does not stop at that point. By voluntarily choosing to seek CALEA accreditation, the agency commits to an ongoing review of adherence to CALEA’s standards. Each community with CALEA accredited agencies should be feel confident that their public safety organization is going above and beyond and operating under the highest standards in public safety.”

Learn more about HRECC at Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center.