Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment

Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron announced today that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on Sunday, July 31, 2016, to examine all aspects of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office policies, procedures, management, operations and support services.

Verification by the team that the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office 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. The agency is seeking its fourth Law Enforcement Accreditation award.

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 Monday, August 1, 2016, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Persons interested in speaking are required to sign-in between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The session will be conducted at the Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room, Chesapeake Bldg., 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown, Maryland 20650.

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/she may do so by telephone. The public may call 301-904-2668 on Monday, August 1, 2016, between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 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.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the ability of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office 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, VA 20155.

The Accreditation Program Manager for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is Ms. Colleen Vranish. 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 officers and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are team leader Dennis Nelson, Warden of the Clayton County (GA) Correctional Institution, and Kristin Rightler, Accreditation Manager of the Town of Jupiter (FL) Police Department. Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Commission. A formal committee hearing and review of the assessment report will occur in November 2016, when CALEA commissioners will determine if the agency is to be granted re-accreditation.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Blvd. Suite 320 Gainesville, VA 20155, call (800) 368- 3757 or (703) 352-4225, or email calea@calea.org.