About Agency Certification

Police2Peace

Uniting departments and communities around programs that uplift and heal them.

Become a Peace Officer Certified Agency

Learn More about Becoming Peace Officer Certified

Peace Officer Agency Certification

Peace Officer Agency Certification recognizes agencies that have completed the requirements of the Peace Officer: Realizing the True Purpose of Policing training. The purpose of the Peace Officer Agency Certification process is three-fold: First, it provides the framework for creating a national coherence about the Peace Officer model; Second, it provides a practical, easy-to-follow blueprint for leading the Peace Officer organizational culture change; and, third, it provides policing leaders with a highly participative process by which organizational members, and the community they are paid to protect, can find the “true purpose” of policing in their community. This model creates community-led policing that works for both cops and the people they serve and protect.

How do we complete the Certification process?

Contained in the online training platform you will see a category of courses called Accreditations and Certifications. The Peace Officer Certification is found there. When you begin the process, you will find numerous checklists which comprise the Certification. These checklists are intended to be used sequentially. Beginning with the personal commitment of the agency’s leader, each step is intended to build on the actions and results of the preceding step. Clearly, there will be instances where local circumstances dictate the sequence cannot be followed or perhaps a step not taken. This is where the wisdom and experience of the agency’s leadership come into play and strategic decisions made to further the project’s progress.

Does my agency have to make the Peace Officer Promise to become certified?

It is highly recommended that agencies make the Peace Officer Promise to the communities they serve. However, it is not a requirement for Peace Officer Agency Certification.

When does my agency certification expire?

Agency certifications are good for a two-year period. Agencies are invited to go through the certification process again after each two-year period.

How do I get my agency certification award plaque?

Once you finish the agency certification process, you will see the certification plaque contact form and enter your agency name and the date of completion. We will mail you your plaque within two weeks of completing this form to the address you specify.

Will there be other certifications?

Yes, we will be announcing other certifications and accreditations soon, such as the IADLEST course certification. We will email you to announce each new certification.

A New Community Policing Framework

PEACE OFFICER is an innovation for community-led policing. Historically, community policing in the U.S. can be traced back as far as the nineteenth century. The broad role for police was articulated by Sir Robert Peel in the 1820’s with the creation of the first modern police force. Research released in the late 1970s began a new wave of adoption in the U.S., and community-oriented policing has since been implemented around the country. The common thread through the decades has been that police are most effective when they exist in the community not as law enforcement, but as part of the community–solving problems and creating a safer civic environment. Police2Peace is making this vision a reality by re-framing policing as PEACE OFFICER. Our vision is national coherence around policing rooted in community engagement, transparency, accountability and reducing use of force. It is acting in good faith without malice. In this way, we are working to change the way America sees and experiences policing right down to the neighborhood level, every day.

17,985

Total Departments

Total U.S. Municipal Law Enforcement Departments

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics

14,819

Total Police

Local Police Departments

Comprised of local city police departments

3,166

Total Sheriff's

County Sheriff's Offices

Comprised of local county sheriff's offices

Get Involved

Here are some ways you can get involved: do mediation in your community, organize an event with police and community, or start a community police relations group. Send us a message or give us a call. We will respond within 24 hours with the tools you need to get started.

Police2Peace is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation formed to redefine, reimagine and advance policing on a national scale through the framework of police officers as “Peace Officers”. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Certified as Platinum Transparency 2023 by Candid, formerly Guidestar, the premier nonprofit rating site.

Police2Peace is a registered mark of Police2Peace. Peace Officer Project, Peace Officer Promise, Peace Officer Framework and Peace Officer: Realizing the True Purpose of Policing are trademarks of Police2Peace.