A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. will arrive on Aug. 22 to examine all aspects of the Covington-Newton County 911 Communications Center’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services.

 Verification by the team that the Covington-Newton County 911 Communications Center meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation — a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence. The Communications Center received their initial accreditation in 2006.

 As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to provide comments to the assessment team by calling (678) 342-8792 on Aug. 24 between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. Local contact for CALEA information is Crystal Cummings, accreditation manager for Covington-Newton County 911 Communications Center.

 Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Covington-Newton County 911 Communications Center’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. , 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Va. 22030-2201.

 The Covington-Newton County 911 Communications Center has to comply with 218 applicable standards in order to maintain its accredited status. Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.