A team of
assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies,
Inc. (CALEA) will arrive Sunday, July 20, to examine all aspects of the Collier
County Sheriff’s Office policy and procedures, management, operations, and
support services.
The team
will verify that the Sheriff’s Office meets the organization’s state-of-the-art
standards as part of a voluntary process to retain accreditation – a highly
prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office was
originally accredited by CALEA in November, 1994, and reaccredited in 1999,
2002, 2005, 2008, and again in 2011.
As a part of
the assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer
comments at a public information session set for 5:30 p.m. Monday, July
21. The session will be conducted in the
Professional Development Center, 615 3rd Ave. S., on the Gulfview Middle School
campus in Naples.
Anyone
unable to attend the public information session may provide input by calling
239-252-0966 on July 21 between 2 and 4 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 Sheriff’s Office Headquarters, Building J 2nd floor, in the
Collier County Government Center, at the Duty Officer’s station.
Persons
wishing to offer written comments about the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s
ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575
Heathcote Blvd., suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155.
The Collier
County Sheriff’s Office will comply with more than 400 standards in order to be
reaccredited.
The
Accreditation Manager for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office is Sgt. Nicole
Minick. She said the assessment team is
composed of law enforcement 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 Chief Douglas Middleton of the Henrico County Police Department
in Virginia as the team leader, and Lt. Colonel Kenneth Gregory of the St.
Louis County Police Department in Missouri.
Once the assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report
back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be
granted re-accreditation status.
Accreditation
is for three years, during which the Sheriff’s Office must submit annual
reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it
was re-accredited.
For more
information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies, Inc. please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite
320, Gainesville, Va. 20155; or call (703) 352-4225 or email calea@calea.org
