Accreditation Team for Police Department Seeks Public Comment

07/24/2015

Chief Shawn Giddy, Director of Public Safety of Jacksonville State University, announces that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on campus August 2, 2015. The assessors will examine all aspects of the JSU Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

Verification by the team that the JSU Police Department meets the commission’s standards of excellence is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The JSU Police Department was first accredited in 1997, and received its re-accreditation in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012.

As part of the on-site assessment, university employees, students and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session. The session will be held at JSU in Wallace Hall’s Lela Sarrell Learning Center on August 3 at 3 p.m. Comments to the assessors may be given in person at this time. Directions to the public information session are available by calling or visiting the JSU Police Department at 256-782-5050 in Salls Hall.

Employees and the public who are unable to attend the public information session in person may call the assessment team on August 3. The assessors may be reached by dialing a private and unrecorded line at 256-689-2018 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Telephone comments or personal appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the JSU Police Department’s ability to comply with standards for re-accreditation. A copy of the standards is available at the JSU Police Department by contacting the accreditation manager, Sergeant Rob Schaffer. Written comments may be sent to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155.

The JSU Police Department must comply with all mandatory standards in order to retain accredited status. The assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessment team is comprised of Robin Geis and Deborah Morgan. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed.

Once the commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if JSU's department will be re-accredited. The re-accreditation cycle is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards.  

For any additional information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write the commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155; call 703-352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.