Rating The Police

From HoCo PD:

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will visit the Howard County Department of Police in April to examine all aspects of police policy, procedures, management, operations and support services, Police Chief William McMahon announced today. As part of the on-site assessment, members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, April 20 at 7 p.m.

The Police Department must comply with more than 400 standards in order to gain re-accreditation status, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

“Being a nationally accredited police agency is important because it tells our citizens that we are doing everything possible to offer them the highest quality of service,” said Chief McMahon.

The public information session will be conducted at the James N. Robey Public Service Training Center at 2200 Scott Wheeler Drive, in Marriottsville.

The assessment team is comprised of law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies in other states. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and visit facilities to confirm compliance with all CALEA standards. The assessors are: Team Leader, Assistant Chief Dan Bruno, Gwinnett Police Department (Ga.); Captain David Newlan, Cape Coral Police Department (Fla.); and Linda Kaus, Modesto Police Department, (Ca.).

Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the Howard County Police Department, they will report back to the full Commission, which then decides if the agency is to be granted re-accreditation status. Certification covers three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports to the Commission demonstrating continued compliance with all required standards.

Members of the public who cannot be present at the April 20 public information session, but would like to provide comments to the assessment team may call 410-313-2214 on Tuesday, April 21 between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m. Telephone comments and appearances at the public information session are generally limited to 10 minutes and must address the Howard County Police Department’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at police headquarters.

The local contact is Tamera G. Bulla who can be reached at 410-313-3229 or by e-mail to tbulla@howardcountymd.gov.

Anyone wishing to offer written comments about the Howard County Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for Accreditation may write to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030-2215. For more information about CALEA, citizens can write to the same address, visit www.calea.org or call 800-368-3757 or 703-352-4225.