Tri-County Animal Shelter announces August events

The Tri-County Animal Shelter will host Bark in the Park 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, and Monday, Aug. 29, at the Regency Furniture Stadium, 11765 St. Linus Drive, Waldorf.

National Black Cat Appreciation Day will be Wednesday, Aug. 17, when all adoption fees for black cats will be waived.

The Tri-County Animal Shelter is located at 6707 Animal Shelter Road in Hughesville. Shelter staff can be reached at 301-932-1713 or 800-9031992. Adoption hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To view animals available for adoption, go to www. CharlesCountyMD. gov/es/animalshelter/ tri-county-animal-shelter or www.petfinder.com/ shelters/MD112.html. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.

Volunteers needed for Day of Caring

United Way of Charles County will host its 22nd Annual Day of Caring on Sept. 1. The event has been a September community tradition since 1995 where partner agencies are able to have volunteers come in and take care of some of their needs.

This year, 14 agencies with 32 projects were submitted, requiring more than 240 volunteers. Some of this years projects are gardening, landscaping, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor painting, meal delivery, construction type jobs and an IT/website project, among others.

The day begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees, with a light breakfast before heading out to the various locations. T-shirts are available to volunteers. Bring a bagged lunch, snacks and additional beverages for the duration.

To volunteer for the event, review the volunteer opportunities and download the registration form at http://www. unitedwaycharles.org/ day-caring.

For more information, call United Way of Charles County at 301-609-4844 or email dhadden@unitedwaycharles.org.

The deadline to sign up is Aug. 26.

Police accreditation team seeking public comment

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) will arrive Aug. 1 to examine all aspects of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures, management, operations and support services as part of the agency’s continued efforts to maintain its accreditation. The sheriff’s office is seeking its sixth re-accreditation.

“The purpose of this visit by the team of assessors is to confirm the Charles County Sheriff’s Office continues to meet the commission’s standards and is part of a voluntary process to maintain CALEA accreditation,” said Sheriff Troy D. Berry (D) in a press release.

During the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to comment at a public information session 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, in the training classroom located at the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters, 6915 Crain Highway, La Plata.

Any person who cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team may do so by telephone. Calls will be taken by the assessment team at 301-609-6517 from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. 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. The CALEA standards are available for review from the office of planning and accreditation at the sheriff’s office headquarters. The planning and accreditation office may be contacted at 301-609-6419.

Anyone wishing to offer written comments about the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation may write to John Gregory, regional program manager, at the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.

“CALEA assessors are law enforcement professionals from agencies located some distance away in order to maintain the objectivity of the assessment process,” said Danny Johnson, the agency’s deputy director of planning and accreditation, in the press release.

The assessors this year are Major Paul Baggett, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland, Fla., and Lt. Virgil Hubbard, Knoxville Police Department, Knoxville, Tenn. They will review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and other places where compliance with CALEA standards can be verified. Once the commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they report to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be re-accredited.

Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports affirming continued compliance with those standards under which it was accredited. For more information regarding CALEA, call 800-368-3757 or 703-352-4225, or go to www.calea.org.

Hazardous waste collection scheduled for Aug. 6

The Charles County Department of Public Works will hold the next household hazardous waste collection on Saturday, Aug. 6. The household hazardous waste collection site is located in the parking lot of the Department of Public Works building, located at 10430 Audie Lane, off of Radio Station Road in La Plata. Collection hours are 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

For more information, call the Charles County Department of Public Works Environmental Resources Division at 301-932-3599 or 301-8702778, or the landfill and recycling information line at 301-932-5656. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.