Public comment sought during police reaccredidation

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 7/28/15

On Monday morning, Mayor Scott Avedisian and Colonel Stephen McCartney of the Warwick Police Department held a brief meeting to explain the facets of the Commission on Accreditation for Law …

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Public comment sought during police reaccredidation

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On Monday morning, Mayor Scott Avedisian and Colonel Stephen McCartney of the Warwick Police Department held a brief meeting to explain the facets of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) reaccredidation, which will be conducted the first week of August.

The team is comprised of out-of-state CALEA law enforcement practitioners who will review the department’s compliance with CALEA standards in many facets including policies and procedures, management, operations and support services. 

Deputy Chief Terry Clanton of the Kannapolis Police Dept., Kannapolis, North Carolina and Ms. Pamela McKay, accreditation manager for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Leonardtown, Maryland will be working as Warwick’s assessors. They will submit a report to the full commission, which will then decide on whether or not the department is given re-accredidation.

The department will be assessed on 484 standards. To receive the CALEA accreditation they must be in compliance with every one.

On a separate phone interview last Thursday, McCartney said he is optimistic the department will be re-accredited and said that the process has already begun.

Warwick sent all of their policies and proofs to CALEA, and the process would only continue when the assessors arrive the first week of August. He said that the community can be reassured knowing the department is accredited, especially in today’s world, when departments are so often faced with “liability and public perception.”

The assessors will conduct interviews with personnel, community and business leaders. They will also take rides with officers while continuing to go over policies.

“It’s all to make sure we are doing what we are supposed to. To see if we’re talking the talk or walking the walk,” McCartney said.

Warwick was last accredited in August of 2012. Under a new process all subsequent reaccreditations will happen every four years instead of three.

The department has been accredited since 1997, and this will be their seventh re-accredidation. During the meeting on Monday, McCartney said only nine organizations in the state have the CALEA accreditation, and Warwick has been accredited the longest.

The CALEA team will arrive at the department on Sunday, August 2 and the process for reaccredidation, which will go until the 5th, is a voluntary one. Both the Department and CALEA are inviting personnel and the general public to attend a public information session and provide their comments. The session will be held in the Community Room located in the Warwick Police Department, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive on August 3 at 6 p.m.

Avedisian said that the public comment could be one of the most important parts of the re-accredidation process. It helps not only CALEA representative, but also the department see where Warwick is doing well, but also where they can improve their service to its constituents

Those wishing to speak up but are unable to attend the public information session may also provide their comments either by phone or mail. On Tuesday, August 4 between 3 and 5 p.m. comments will be accepted by phone at 468-4328.

Written comments can be sent to Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155 or email calea@calea.org.

All comments are limited to 10 minutes and can only address complicity with CALEA standards.

The standards are available at the Warwick Police Department for review and questions can be addressed to Accreditation Manager, Sergeant Joseph Petrarca, 468-4330.

For more information on CALEA write to the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155, email calea@calea.org or call (703) 352-4225.

   

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