Richmond’s 911 emergency call center has secured national accreditation for the first time.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies awarded the Richmond Department of Emergency Communications the accreditation on May 4 in Huntsville, Ala.

The award to emergency communications “validates what we already know — that the City of Richmond has dedicated and well-trained public safety professionals to assist our residents when they need us the most,” Mayor Levar M. Stoney stated in announcing the award this week.

The independent department, which employs about 60 dispatchers around the clock and about 40 other employees in support positions, earned accreditation after demonstrating that it meets international best practices on community engagement, policies, procedures and facilities over several years.

“The accreditation process has evolved the department from a good emergency communications center to a great center,” stated Stephen M. Willoughby, department director, who went to Huntsville to accept the award with Kathy Berg, emergency communications manager.

He added that the “benchmarks that must continue to be met will help ensure that we remain a high-performance organization” in order to maintain accreditation.

The DEC award adds to the credits that the city’s public safety agencies have earned. The Richmond Police Department previously earned national accreditation, Richmond Fire and Emergency Services earned a separate ranking as one of the top 1 percent of firefighting agencies in the country and the Richmond Ambulance Authority has earned recognition for being among the top operations in the nation and around the world.