As a Law Enforcement Officer - Garden Grove

In November, more than 500 law enforcement professionals from throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico
converged upon Garden Grove’s InternationalWEST Resort District for a five-day police accreditation conference. The 2010
CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.) Fall Conference took place November 16 through
November 20, and was a great success. Garden Grove last hosted a CALEA conference in July 1988.
Hosting the 2010 conference required more than 18 months of planning and preparation, and brought together people and
resources from throughout the community. The Conference Committee included not only Police Department personnel, but
also several City employees and community members who contributed their time and talents. During the conference, nearly
200 employees assisted with ensuring the week was enjoyable and memorable for all attendees.
As the Host Agency, the Garden Grove Police Department –and the City as a whole- could not have delivered such an
excellent “Garden Grove Experience” had it not been for the money, goods, and services very generously donated by
individuals and businesses from within the community. The conference also provided the opportunity to promote the city
and the InternationalWEST Resort District as a future travel and tourism destination, as conference attendees came from
throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
During the five-day conference, attendees participated in numerous training workshops
focused on law enforcement and public safety issues. The Commission also reviewed and
voted on candidate agencies for accreditation and recognition, including the Garden Grove
Police Department. Accreditation honors were presented during Saturday’s Awards Celebration
Banquet, where the Garden Grove Police Department was awarded the prestigious Flagship
Agency status. This is the highest level of recognition awarded by CALEA, and is achieved by
only a small percentage of accredited agencies.
Overall, the Fall Conference was a great success, as evidenced by the following excerpt from
CALEA update magazine (February 2011 edition):
The Fall 2010 CALEA Conference in Garden
Grove, California, turned out to be an enormously
popular event! Our conference hosts, the Garden
Grove Police Department, did an exceptional job
of making sure everyone had a productive and
enjoyable conference. A special thank-you goes
to (now-retired) Garden Grove Chief Joseph M.
Polisar for all his support…. The Host Committee
Chair, Lieutenant Robert D. Fowler and Vice-Chair
Manager Courtney Allison, and all other members
of the Garden Grove Host Committee deserve a
hearty “Thanks and great job!” for all their efforts.