ACCREDITATION TEAM INVITES PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING

PORT ORANGE POLICE DEPARTMENT

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive in Port Orange on Saturday, December 12, 2009, to examine all aspects of the Port Orange Police Department's Policy and Procedures, management, operations and support services, Assistant Chief of Police Wayne M. Miller announced today. Verification by the team that the Port Orange 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. The Port Orange Police Department has to comply with 463 standards in order to gain accredited status, first earned in May 2004.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session Monday December 14, 2009 between 7:00 and 9:00 PM. The session will be conducted in the Port Orange City Council Chambers located at City Hall 1000 City Center Circle. If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, they may do so by telephone. The public may call (386) 506-5988 on Sunday December 13, 2009, between the hours of 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. 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 CALEA website www.flaccreditation.

Assistant Chief Miller advised 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 offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are Team Leader: Captain John Foster of the Florissant Missouri Police Department and Team Member Sergeant Curtis Winn of Prairie Village Kansas 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 accredited status. 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 Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write the Commission at 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia 22030-2215; or call (800) 368-3757 or email calea@calea.org.