Gulfport, MS, November 23rd, 2009 – The City of Central Point Police Department will host a news conference to make known they are the first recipient of a National Integrity award.  Dr. Neal Trautman, Director of the National Institute of Ethics, is expected to publicly announce that the City of Central Point Police Department is the first law enforcement agency in the United States to fulfill the stringent and professionally significant requirements of their innovative “Certificate of Excellence in Integrity” program. 

Established in 1991, the National Institute of Ethics is a Congressional award winning, non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization, dedicated to furthering ethics and integrity throughout America.  The National Institute of Ethics is also the nation's largest provider of law enforcement ethics training.

The fundamental mission of the National Institute of Ethics is to enhance professionalism through ethical standards and integrity assurance training.   The Institute’s Certificate of Excellence in Integrity was developed as a means to encourage and assist agencies to take preventative anti-corruption measures and to publicly recognize those who do. The certificate openly confirms that the leadership of a law enforcement or corrections organization is dedicated to taking substantial steps to help prevent and speak to potential employee misconduct.

Two major requirements had to be met in order for Central Point Police to receive this Certificate:

• The Institute confirmed that the City of Central Point Police Department was in compliance with at least 70% of the applicable 221 mandates which are intended to enhance organizational integrity.
• A minimum of 80% of its formal leaders have received at least 8-hours of ethics/anti-corruption training.

The 221 organizational mandates are categorized into eleven groups which include: Recruitment, Hiring, Field Training Program, Use of Force, Employee Praise and Recognition, Integrity-Related Written Policies, Leadership, Drug Units, Discipline and Accountability, Evidence Rooms, and In-Service Ethics Training. The Institute sent an audit team to the City of Central Point Police Department and confirmed the applicable mandates were met. This certificate is valid for three years, and must be renewed in the same manner which it was attained.

A primary motivation for the City of Central Point Police Department to seek this esteemed recognition is to independently authenticate and publicly affirm a steadfast commitment in striving for the highest standards of integrity and professionalism that the citizens of Central Point correctly demand from their Police Department.

It is an uncompromising mandate of the Central Point Police Department to at all times support, strengthen and sustain an ethical culture throughout our organization; giving surety that all of our actions engender PUBLIC TRUST and confidence in an ongoing pledge to carry out our mission and perform our duty with the utmost levels of competence, character and integrity. This certificate validates our unending commitment to that declaration.

For additional information on the Certificate of Excellence in Integrity program, please contact Dr. Neal Trautman of the National Institute of Ethics, or visit them on the web at www.ethicsinstitute.com