CPD accreditation
Team of assessors visiting for observation; public input welcome at informational session
Team of assessors visiting the Cumberland Police for observation; public input welcome at upcoming informational session.
CUMBERLAND — As the Cumberland Police Department seeks to renew its national accreditation, a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) is due to arrive a police headquarters Monday to learn more about how the department operates.
The assessment review, announced Friday by Police Chief John Desmarais, is one of the final phases of the accreditation process. The assessors will examine myriad policies the department has adopted, support services, management practices and other operational features of the police force.
Verification by the team that the Cumberland Police Department meets CALEA's standards for best practices in law enforcement is a voluntary process to gain accreditation, “a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,” Desmarais said.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday. The session will take place in the Town Council Chambers at Town Hall, 45 Broad St., at 6 p.m.
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 or she may do so by calling 595-7488 on Tuesday from 1-3 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’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Cumberland Police Department. Call Captain Alan Milligan, 333-2500, for information.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Cumberland Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation may offer submissions to CALEA at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.
The Cumberland Police Department must comply with 484 different standards in order to gain re-accreditation, Desmarais said.
“The agency has been working diligently to revise and redefine how police services are delivered to the Cumberland community,” the chief said. “Accreditation is one element that assures the police and the community that delivery is costeffective, professional, and compassionate.”
The Accreditation Program Manager for the Cumberland Police Department is Captain Milligan, the accreditation program manager for the CPD, said the assessment team include includes law enforcement professionals from agencies similar to Cumberland, but from other states. The assessors will review written materials, conduct interviews with members of the police force and visit areas where they can visually determine whether the department is in compliance with CALEA standards.
Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency's accreditation will be renewed, according to Milligan.
Accreditation lasts three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with the standards that were in place when it first gained accreditation.