Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Accreditation Assessment Team invites public comment
A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA), will arrive at Virginia Tech on Aug. 29 to examine all aspects of the Virginia Tech Police Department policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Police Chief Wendell R. Flinchum announced today.
Verification by the team that the Virginia Tech 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 law enforcement professional excellence, he 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 Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. The session will be conducted at the Inn of Virginia Tech located at 901 Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg.
Individuals who cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to assessment team, may do so by telephone. The public may call (540) 231-5876 on Aug. 30 between the hours of 1 and 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 Virginia Tech Police Department from Denise Linkenhoker or Lieutenant Debbi Morgan.
Those wishing to offer written comments about the Virginia Tech Police Department's ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA, 22030-2215.
The Accreditation Manager for the Virginia Tech Police Department is Denise Linkenhoker. 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 places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are Commander Robert Stack, Lexington, Ky., police department and Lt. Robert Wagner, University of Florida Police Department.
Once the Commission's 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, Linkenhoker stated.
Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was originally accredited. This will be the fourth re-accreditation process for the Virginia Tech Police Department after receiving its initial accreditation status in 1995.
For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA), write to 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA, 22030-2215; or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225.
Written by Denise Linkenhoker, Virginia Tech Police Department.
