Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment
LAKELAND, FL (March 6, 2020) —A site-based assessment team from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive on Monday, April 6, 2020, to examine all aspects of the Lakeland Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief Ruben Garcia announced today.
Verification by the team that the Lakeland 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 public safety professional excellence, he said. As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the City Hall Commission Chambers located on the third floor of City Hall at 228 South Massachusetts Avenue.
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 (863)834-2705 on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, between the hours of 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 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 Standards. A copy of the standards is available via a public records request. Contact Tom Trulson, Public Records Response Coordinator at 863.834.6947 or tom.trulson@lakelandgov.net.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Lakeland Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155.
The Lakeland Police Department has to comply with 462 standards in order to gain accredited status, Chief Garcia said. “Accreditation is a voluntary process our agency participates in to ensure we are meeting and exceeding the high standards we’ve set for ourselves and the nationally accepted practices and standards set by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.”
Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports, and participate in annual remote web-based assessments attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially 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, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.