A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will hold a public information meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 5:30 p.m. in Conyers Council Chambers, 1194 Scott Street. The public is invited to attend to offer comments on the CPD’s abilty to comply with CALEA standards.
Individuals not able to attend but are interested in providing comments may do so by telephone at 770-910-2754 on Thursday, Aug. 16 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. or email calea@calea.org by the end of August. Copies of the standards are available for review at the Conyers Police Department, 1194 Scott Street. The contact is Lt. Tanya Perry at 770-785-6684.
The assessors, who arrive the day before, will examine all aspects of the Conyers Police Department’s (CPD) policy and procedures, management, operations and support services. Verification by the team that the Conyers 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.
“The Conyers Police Department must comply with 480 standards in order to gain accredited status,” said Chief of Police Gene Wilson. “Accreditation is important because it shows that our operations, policies and training procedures are among the best in the world.”
The CALEA program manager for the CPD is Dennis Hyater. The assessment team consists of Robert Morgan from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Standards and Training and Major Noah Hetrick of the Bowling Green Police Division. The assessors are from out-of-state agencies who will review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed.
Once CALEA assessors complete their review of the CPD, they report back to the full commission which then decides if the Conyers Police Department is to be granted accredited status. Accreditation is for three years, during which time the police department must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
“Even before regaining state certification earlier this year, the Conyers Mayor and City Council considered CALEA accreditation an important goal for the Conyers Police to obtain,” said Chief Wilson. “Officers have been working extremely hard to provide documentation to adhere to CALEA’s high standards of excellence. I look forward to the assessment and have high expectations of how the CPD will rate.”
Those who wish to submit written comments about the CPD’s ability to meet accreditation standards are requested to write: The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155 or at www.calea.org. Written comments should be mailed to CALEA headquarters no later than the end of August. Citizens may also email CALEA with their comments by sending them to calea@calea.org.
