Portsmouth Police Department (VA)
| Location: | Portsmouth, VA |
| Employees: | 150 sworn, 50 non-sworn |
| Population: | 197,000 |
| PowerDMS Customer: | |
| Accrediting Body: | |
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See how Portsmouth, VA Police Department earned CALEA Advanced Accreditation for Law Enforcement after three decades, using PowerDMS to finish the journey.
Portsmouth Police Department in Virginia earned CALEA Advanced Accreditation in 2025 after nearly 30 years of stalled accreditation efforts. With leadership support, a dedicated accreditation manager, and PowerDMS policy and accreditation management software, the department organized its policies, documented compliance, and addressed 77 standards flagged during its initial assessment.
Led by Accreditation Manager Tonya Hopkins, and supported by Chief Stephen D. Jenkins, Portsmouth completed its final accreditation push in approximately two and a half years. The department spent about 18 months reviewing and revising policies and used PowerDMS Policy and Standards to connect written directives to accreditation requirements.
Article Highlights:
After nearly 30 years of stalled accreditation efforts, Portsmouth Police Department's success came down to five factors: leadership support, a dedicated accreditation manager, policy revisions, documented compliance, and organized assessment preparation.
CALEA offers two law enforcement accreditation tiers that differ in scope. Under the standards framework used during Portsmouth's accreditation process, Law Enforcement Accreditation included 193 standards, while Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation included 470.
Not every standard applies to every agency. Of the 470 Advanced standards, 430 applied to Portsmouth based on its staffing and operational responsibilities. The department chose to pursue Advanced Accreditation directly rather than first obtaining the standard tier.
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Program Detail |
Law Enforcement Accreditation (Tier 1) |
Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation (Tier 2) |
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Standards included |
470 total standards; 430 applicable to Portsmouth PD during its assessment |
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Stated focus |
Best practices for life, health, and safety procedures |
Professional excellence across a broader range of operational and administrative functions |
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Portsmouth's path |
Not pursued |
Pursued directly, awarded in 2025 |
Portsmouth Police Department began pursuing accreditation in the mid-to-late 1990s, but personnel turnover, shifting priorities, and periods without a dedicated accreditation manager repeatedly stalled its progress.
In 2009, Portsmouth began pursuing state accreditation through the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC), but the effort stalled during policy review. In 2019, the department added the full version of Policy and Training, expanding beyond the Lite Policy included with CALEA enrollment. Despite renewed efforts from 2020 through 2022, the department was unable to achieve state accreditation.
That changed in 2022, when Chief Stephen D. Jenkins was appointed and made accreditation one of his stated goals. Hiring a new accreditation manager was the first step. Tonya Hopkins started in early 2023, bringing 25 years of records and accreditation experience from the Mobile, Alabama Police Department. Portsmouth PD added CALEA standards to its contract that same year.
On her first day, a captain asked whether the department would be accredited by the end of next week. Hopkins' response set the tone for the next two and a half years:
Hopkins and Chief Stephen Jenkins chose to pursue CALEA's Advanced tier directly, even though CALEA does not recommend that tier for first-time agencies, according to Hopkins. She argued that Portsmouth already had the policies in place to meet Advanced standards.
"You're already doing it," she told the chief. "Do you have the proofs? Probably not."
Chief Jenkins backed the decision, met with Hopkins regularly throughout the process, and later approved additional fees without hesitation when CALEA required a follow-up review.
Portsmouth spent approximately 18 months reviewing and revising policies, following CALEA's recommended accreditation sequence. One challenge involved the department's Communications Unit, which operates under the fire department. Hopkins worked with fire department personnel to align communications policies with police accreditation requirements and collect the supporting documentation needed to demonstrate compliance.
PowerDMS Solution: As part of the policy cleanup, Portsmouth converted policies previously uploaded as static PDFs into editable Word documents within Policy, the policy management software from PowerDMS. This allowed the department to use the platform's review and approval workflows to manage policy revisions throughout the accreditation process.
Much of what CALEA required was new documentation, not new practice. For example, the department tested its emergency generator weekly but did not log the tests. Early in the process, Hopkins met individually with every division and section to walk them through the applicable CALEA standards and the specific proofs each would eventually need to supply. That groundwork paid off in 2024, which the department called its "proof year."
In August 2024, Hopkins organized a mock assessment with roughly ten volunteer accreditation managers from the Virginia Association of CALEA Accreditation Professionals (VACAP). The review helped Portsmouth identify gaps in its assessment preparation, including opportunities to improve how policy language was connected to individual CALEA standards.
PowerDMS Solution: Portsmouth used document-highlighting tools in Standards, accreditation management software, to link specific policy language directly to applicable CALEA standards. This gave the accreditation team a clearer way to show how written directives addressed each requirement without relying on separate notes or cross-reference sheets.
Despite that preparation, Portsmouth encountered a setback during its web-based assessment. Of the 430 applicable CALEA Advanced standards, assessors flagged 77 as insufficient. The deficiencies fell into two main categories: policies that needed stronger language and supporting documentation that did not adequately demonstrate compliance with existing policies.
CALEA paused the review and required a paid follow-up assessment. Portsmouth addressed the deficiencies and resubmitted its materials in March 2025. All 77 previously flagged standards passed the follow-up review.
For Accreditation Manager Tonya Hopkins, keeping accreditation documentation aligned with changing policies is an ongoing responsibility. She identifies the assessment-update flag in PowerDMS Standards as one of the most valuable features in her daily work.
PowerDMS Solution: When a written directive linked to a CALEA standard is revised and republished in PowerDMS Policy, Standards automatically flags the associated standard for review. This alerts Hopkins to potential changes in the supporting documentation and helps her identify which standards may need attention.
Before Portsmouth centralized its policies, staff often had to track down the right document, creating extra work for Hopkins and other department personnel. Having policies organized and accessible also supported the department's law enforcement accreditation efforts.
Hopkins is also preparing to enable AI-assisted policy search in Policy, which will allow staff to ask plain-language questions and receive answers linked to current published policies.
PowerDMS Solution: Policy centralizes the department's written directives and makes them accessible through its mobile app, MDTs, and officer phones. This gives staff a consistent place to find current policies, reducing the need to contact Hopkins for help locating documents.
Portsmouth is part of Virginia's Hampton Roads region, often called the "seven cities," alongside Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. Hopkins notes that with Portsmouth's accreditation, all seven cities in the region are now accredited agencies.
Chief Stephen Jenkins and Tonya Hopkins accept their Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Certificate from CALEA in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2025.
Asked what it felt like to finally receive word of accreditation after 30 years, Hopkins does not point to a press release or a plaque. She points to a text message. The captain who joked about getting accredited "by next week" on her first day sent her a simple message once the news arrived:
After years of preparation and setbacks, Portsmouth's on-site assessment was less daunting than the department had anticipated. With organized policies, documented compliance, and support from leadership and staff, the department was ready to demonstrate its progress.
For agencies pursuing CALEA or other law enforcement accreditation programs, PowerDMS Policy and Standards help connect written directives to accreditation requirements and organize supporting documentation.
Request a Standards demo to see how your agency can manage policies, standards, and proofs of compliance in one connected system.
CALEA accreditation efforts can stall because of leadership changes, staff turnover, and a lack of dedicated accreditation personnel. Portsmouth Police Department experienced these challenges throughout its nearly 30-year accreditation journey.
PowerDMS helps law enforcement agencies prepare for CALEA accreditation by connecting policy management with accreditation standards tracking. Policy centralizes written directives and supports policy review and approval workflows, while Standards links policies to accreditation requirements, organizes supporting documentation, and flags standards for review when linked policies change.
A CALEA on-site assessment follows the web-based documentation review and includes verification that agency practices align with written policies. During Portsmouth Police Department's April 2025 assessment, an assessor observed operations, including canine unit training and equipment maintenance, to confirm that documented procedures were being followed.
No. CALEA determines which standards apply based on an agency's staffing and mandated functions. For example, agencies without a jail or medical facility may not be assessed against standards governing those operations. During Portsmouth Police Department's Advanced Accreditation assessment, 430 of the 470 standards were applicable.
CALEA accreditation has five steps: enrollment, self-assessment, assessment, a Commission review decision, and maintaining accreditation. Agencies begin by working with their assigned CALEA Regional Program Manager and progress through each stage. After receiving accreditation, agencies must continue demonstrating compliance to maintain their accredited status.
Portsmouth Police Department's CALEA Advanced Accreditation journey spanned approximately 30 years, from the mid-to-late 1990s to 2025. However, the final, focused effort took about two and a half years after Tonya Hopkins became the department's dedicated accreditation manager in early 2023.