Madison police seeking public input for accreditation

Madison police seeking public input for accreditation

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Madison Police will seek public comment on July 26 as part of an accreditation program the department been involved with for almost 20 years.

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., through a virtual format, will examine all aspects of the Madison Police Department's policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief M. E. Waldrop announced last week.

“The Department has been previously accredited since November 2002,” Waldrop said.

Waldrop said the accreditation is a voluntary process that his department pursues because the commission’s “state-of-the-art standards.” He went on to describe it as “a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence.”

MPD will be required to comply with 365 standards in order to continue advanced accredited status. Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. 

"Advanced Law Enforcement accreditation provides the Madison Police Department a process for accountability to the citizens and public which the Department serves,” Waldrop said.

The CALEA Program Manager for the Madison Police Department is Vince Dauro. He said the assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and view offices, locations and equipment and processes virtually where compliance can be verified.

“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,” Dauro said.

As part of the virtual assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, July 26, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The session will be conducted virtually utilizing the Zoom teleconference platform. 

Those wishing to attend the online meeting may do so by joining the Zoom teleconference at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82728862379?pwd=ZjNpTHZtQ01qS0l4azh6dmVHakNUUT09.  

The Zoom meeting ID is 827 2886 2379. The Zoom meeting passcode is 710088.

If for some reason an individual cannot attend the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone. The public may call 601-500-2831 on Monday, July 26, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Telephone comments as well as comments at the online 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 City of Madison Police Department.  

Waldrop said the local contact is Capt. Kevin Newman, telephone number 601-856-6111.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the City of Madison Police Department's ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write to:  Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 1357 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA  20155.  Comments may also be submitted by email to calea@calea.org.






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