Kansas Accreditation Council

The Kansas Accreditation Council's overall purpose is to improve the delivery of law enforcement services, primarily through a state law enforcement voluntary accreditation program, organized and maintained in the public interest. The KAC's specific purposes include, but are not limited to:

1. Outreach Responsibilities/Activities.
2. Accreditation Process Implementation and Oversite.
3. Standard review and interpretation.
4. Agency reviews.
5. Quarterly Council meetings.
6. Special Council meetings as needed.

The Kansas Accreditation Council shall meet at least quarterly on such dates and places as may be designated by the Chair.

The annual meeting shall be the last scheduled quarterly meeting of the year. Meetings may be conducted remotely as directed by the Chair.

The KAC will conduct the first quarterly meeting each year in-person each year on the last Thursday in March.

The KAC conducts hearings regarding the agency’s compliance with applicable standards. Designated agency representatives may be invited to the review, if necessary. If an agency’s presence is requested and they are unable to participate, the KLEAP Program Director shall be notified immediately. The KAC votes on one of the following designations:

Accredited

The candidate agency is in full compliance with all applicable mandatory and other-than-mandatory standards.

Deferred Accreditation with Stipulations

The candidate agency has not achieved the required compliance with applicable standards. This may result from circumstances beyond the agency’s control. The KAC’s decision shall be based on the totality of relevant circumstances.

The KAC may impose stipulations to include, but are not limited to those specified below:

1. The agency can be required to develop a new plan for monitoring internal compliance with applicable program standards. The KAC may further require that this plan be submitted to the KAC for review and approval.
2. The agency can be required to periodically submit documentation to demonstrate continued compliance with selected program standards. This documentation shall be submitted to the KLEAP Manager for review.
3. The agency can be required to correct the deficiencies and schedule another on-site review of their agency. KAC can request one of the following to conduct the follow-up on-site review, the Lead Assessor who conducted the initial review, the KLEAP Program Director, or another experienced Assessor.
   • It should be noted for the agency that any expenses incurred to complete a follow-up on-site review will be at the expense of the agency.  

If the KAC votes to defer accreditation until certain conditions have been met, the KAC will provide the agency with written notice specifying the action that needs to be taken, the method that the KAC will use to verify that all appropriate action has been taken, and a timeframe in which the candidate agency must demonstrate full compliance.

Accreditation Lapsed

The candidate agency has not achieved the required compliance with applicable standards. The KAC regards the agency as no longer accredited. The agency is required to remove from view any indications of state-accredited status.

Accreditation Denied

The candidate agency failed to demonstrate substantial compliance with applicable standards and/or there is compelling evidence of non-compliance. If the KAC votes to deny accreditation status because of significant and repeated failures to comply with applicable standards, the candidate agency will not be assessed again until a specified period of time, established by the KAC, has elapsed. The length of this period shall be set by the KAC at the time of the denial but will in no case exceed 4 years. If the agency chooses to reapply when it becomes eligible to do so, the assessment shall include a review of the agency’s plan to ensure that the compliance problems encountered in the past will not be repeated.

Accreditation Withdrawn

Apart from the aforementioned KAC action/disposition designations, a candidate agency may decide to discontinue its participation in the KLEAP. If so requested, KAC will designate the agency as “withdrawn.” In such a case, the agency must remove from view any indications of accredited status.

The KLEAP Program Director, Council Members, Accreditation Managers, Chief Law Enforcement Officers, and Assessors sometimes discover minor discrepancies in the text of standards. In addition, new or updated best practices, court decisions, and legislative changes may require revision of standards. Any person or agency may request a standard review by completing the Standard Revision Request form available on the KLEAP Website. Except for minor punctuation or grammatical changes that do not change the scope or meaning of the standard, the following process shall be used for revisions, additions, or deletions.

1. The KAC will discuss and vote on proposed changes.
2. Updated Manuals and/or forms will be posted on the Website.
3. A Crosswalk from one edition to the next will be posted on the KLEAP Website.