A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA ©), arrives Sunday, Dec. 1 to examine all aspects of the Madison Police Department policy and procedures, management, operations and support services, Chief Jack Drumm announced today.

Verification by the team that the Madison Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence, he said. 

As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session onTuesday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. The session will be conducted the Madison Police Department Community Room, 9 Campus Drive.

If, for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone.  The public may call (203)318-3041 on Tuesday between 1 and 3 p.m.

Telephone comments, as well as appearances at the public information session, are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Madison Police Department, 9 Campus Drive, Madison, Connecticut 06443 by contacting Accreditation Manager, Officer Joseph Race at (203)318-3039.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Madison Police Department’s ability to meet standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155.

The Madison Police Department has to comply with a total of 482 standards in order to gain accreditation status, Chief Drumm said. “Becoming an accredited agency means that the Madison Police Department adheres to the ‘best practices’ in law enforcement.  Accreditation increases the level of professionalism of the department, and instills  greater confidence in the agency by members of the community.”

The CALEA Program Manager for the Madison Police Department is Stephen Mitchell.  He said that the assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit officers and other locations where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are Captain Michael Pheil from the LaGrange, Georgia Police Department and Deputy Chief Michael Rivas from the Wood Dale, Illinois Police Department.

Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accreditation status, Mitchell stated. Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports  attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write the Commission at: 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352-4225 or www.calea.org.