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12/20/2016 02:00 PMWhile no official decision has been made, Madison Police Department officials are feeling optimistic about their chances for re-accreditation. After a successful visit by officials from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) the week of Dec. 11, Captain Joseph Race said the department is expecting some positive news this spring.
An accreditation is a recognition of excellence for complying with a system of uniform standard or best practices for law enforcement agencies. This year the department is going for its second law enforcement accreditation and its first accreditation for the communications department. The department went for its first accreditation back in 2012 in an effort to clean up its image after a series of scandals in 2007 ranging from prostitution to fraud brought the police image to an all time low.
The process of accreditation involves a full review of the department’s practices and procedures by CALEA assessors. The assessors spent the majority of last week going over police records and interviewing officers and town staff. The officials then put together a recommendation for the CALEA commission, which will make the final decision on accreditation in March 2017, according to Race, who served as accreditation manager.
“The way they [the assessors] left it is based on the things that they find…We are in such good shape there should be no question about accreditation,” he said. “We have no issues of non-compliance, so basically I think it is out of 696 total standards we are compliant with all of them.”
Race said law enforcement is likely to be re-accredited and the emergency communications department is likely to receive its first accreditation. If each division is accredited, the Madison Police Department will be one of 18 accredited departments in the state and one of less than a third of a percent of departments across the country that are dually accredited for law enforcement and communications.
“It is a known fact that your first re-accreditation is your toughest and that is what this was for law enforcement,” he said. “I think everyone in the department has worked incredibly hard.” The assessors “said this is one of the best re-accreditations they have ever been a part of and that is a testament to how hard everyone in this building is working, from the civilian staff to the sworn officers.”
Race and Chief Jack Drumm will go before the CALEA Commission in March before the accreditation is official. At the meeting in March, Race said he and the chief will have to answer some questions, some of which will focus on diversity in hiring.
“We have made great strides on the law enforcement side, although we are still light on female officers. But our communication center, it is a challenge,” he said. “Dispatch is a very unique skill set. We put out the notices and we have an objective test and we get what we get based on two levels of objective testing. We are trying and it is a struggle...It is a struggle in law enforcement and it is a struggle in public safety communications.”
As part of the on-site assessment, a public hearing was held on Dec. 12 at police headquarters for residents and officials to share their thoughts on the Police Department. While attendance was low, those who did attend spoke of the progress made by the department.
Clinton Police Chief Vincent DeMaio came to speak in support of his neighboring town’s department and put forward his endorsement for accreditation.
“This is a very professional department,” he said. “I think they have done an outstanding job, they are now leaders in the shoreline. From being the object of ire from some of the things in the past to bring them to a point now where they are truly leaders in this part of the state is a remarkable accomplishment.”
Selectman Al Goldberg, who serves as liaison to the Board of Police Commissioners, said the department meets the needs of the citizens and goes above and beyond.
“This police department is now recognized by most citizens of Madison as a source of pride,” he said. “We have come a long way from a not very good place to a place now where we are continuing to strive for excellence.”
First Selectman Tom Banisch, who said he clearly remembers the state of the department back in 2007, said he was glad to see the department come so far.
“I have watched our chief rebuild” the department, he said. “I have watched the men and women of the Madison Police Department make it into a much better institution and I am proud to be first selectman here and I am proud to work with the chief who is building a first-class communication center here in town.”