Enforcement Policies & Procedures

Chokeholds, strangleholds or carotid restraints are not explicitly mentioned in our policies because they are not taught in our police academy or during annual in-service training. Officers are explicitly instructed to use only the techniques taught during training by Winston-Salem Police Department instructors.


Community-Oriented Policing

WSPD has followed the community-oriented policing philosophy since 1989. Community-oriented policing focuses on building ties and working closely with community members. The main idea is to build bridges to develop trust and legitimacy efforts. 

Logo for The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)Accreditation

WSPD is internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Since 1997, our agency has met CALEA’s requirements of using the best practices of the law enforcement profession. 

Policies are reviewed annually through CALEA, as well as the WSPD Training Staff, Planning and Accreditation Unit, and Professional Standards Division. In addition, an onsite CALEA assessment is conducted every four years. The last onsite assessment was during the week of March 3, 2020.

Memberships

WSPD is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). These organizations help to improve the delivery of police services through the exercise of strong national leadership; public debate of police and criminal justice issues; and research and policy development. Several members of our command staff are members of these organizations and have attended forums and training from them, as well as receive daily and monthly publications of law enforcement philosophies and trends associated with our profession.