October 12, 2011 - Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Police Chief Charles A. McClelland Jr. announced today (Wednesday, Oct. 12) that two divisions within the Houston Police Department received international recognition for improved quality management standards and a continued commitment to enhance the quality of services provided by the police department.

The HPD Property and Emergency Communications Divisions have received the prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008 certification. HPD is the only law enforcement agency in the United States to receive this certification in two divisions.

Photos of today's announcement are attached to this news release.



ISO is a worldwide set of quality standards established by the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization. Certification under ISO 9001 indicates soundness of processes and procedures and is considered a prestigious mark of quality. ISO 9001 certification requires the following principles:

• Customer Focus
• Leadership Commitment
• Involvement of Stakeholders (employees)
• Process Approach
• System Approach to Management
• Continual Improvement
• Factual Approach to Decision Making
• Mutually Beneficial Supplier-Customer Relationships

Business Enterprise Mapping Inc. (BEM) guided HPD in the implementation of the quality management system and achieving international standards certification. National Quality Assurance (NQA) will conduct periodic audits to ensure continued conformance to ISO standards.

"HPD's Property and Emergency Communications Divisions deserve this recognition for the hard work they've put in to streamline processes and ensure proper procedures," said Mayor Parker. "Efficiency has always benefited the City of Houston, and this is no exception. We are saving money by eliminating redundancies and thinking strategically and logically. I'm very proud of HPD for this accolade," she added.

Chief McClelland said,"We are constantly examining ourselves and looking for efficiencies because our resources are very precious. This certification indicates we are following best practices in the industry and we're the leaders," the Chief said. "All the credit goes to the men and women in uniform here today for this significant achievement," added Chief McClelland.

HPD has determined the ISO quality management system model provides the ideal framework to further the commitment for continual improvement in serving the needs of the community.

Update: JKS/JFC 10-12-11
VHS/JFC 10-5-11
Inc. #128781211