In continuing to strive for enhanced professionalism and law enforcement excellence, the Metropolitan Police Department this month will host a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), which will examine all aspects of the department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.
The department is seeking to maintain its accredited status, which was first bestowed in July 1994, and renewed in 1999, 2002, and 2005. Verification by the inspection team that the Metropolitan Police Department continues to meet the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process signifying nationally recognized excellence.
The three-member assessment team will begin its work on Sunday, April 27. As part of the on-site assessment, members of the community, as well as police department employees, are invited to offer comments on police department services and performance at a public information session scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, at 5 p.m., in the community room of the police department’s North Precinct Station, 2231 26th Avenue North.
If, for some reason, an individual cannot attend the public information session but would still like to offer comments to the assessment team, he or she may do so by calling team members at 830-0684 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29.
Telephone comments, as well as those made at the public information session, are limited to ten minutes and must address the police department’s ability to comply with CALEA standards. Copies of the standards are available at each of the department’s precinct stations, or at Metro Police Headquarters, 200 James Robertson Parkway. Anyone desiring to review the standards is asked to contact Sgt. Charles Vance at 862-7364.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Metropolitan Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for reaccreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201, or Ronal W. Serpas, Chief of Police, Attention: Accreditation Manager, 200 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, Tennessee, 37201.
“For nearly 14 years, the Metropolitan Police Department has proudly displayed CALEA’s accreditation emblem,” Chief Ronal Serpas said. “Our bid for reaccreditation in 2008 underscores the commitment of our officers and professional support staff to make a difference in the lives of Nashvillians, and to have a police department of which the entire community can be proud. Nashville’s families and guests expect nothing less.”
The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar, but out-of-state, agencies. During their visit to Nashville, the assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors will be: Director William Howe (team leader), St. Louis County Police Department; SAC Sherry Lang, Georgia Bureau of Investigation; and Chief Wendell D. Register, Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
After completing their review of the department, the assessors will report to the full Commission, which then determines whether to grant reaccreditation. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department expects to be among the agencies the full Commission will consider in July when it meets in Boca Raton, Florida.
Reaccreditation is for three years, during which time the police department must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was reaccredited.
For more information on the accreditation process, contact the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215. Telephone 1-800-368-3757.
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