Accreditation Team Invites Public Comment Related to UA Police

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – As part of a voluntary accreditation assessment, employees of The University of Alabama Department of Public Safety and community members are invited to offer comments related to the department on Monday, Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Alabama Power Room, 216 Reese Phifer Hall on the UA campus.

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., or CALEA, will arrive Aug. 11 to examine all aspects of the UA Department of Public Safety’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, UA Police Chief Steve Tucker said. The public information session is part of the department’s on-site assessment.

Verification by the team that the UA Department of Public Safety meets the commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of the process in gaining and maintaining accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, Tucker said.

“The University of Alabama’s Department of Public Safety has to comply with 443 standards in order to maintain accredited status,” said Tucker. “Maintaining accreditation demonstrates to the University community our agency’s commitment to providing professional services which meet the highest standards,” he said.

If an individual cannot attend the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, he or she may do so by telephone. The public may call 348-2619 on Monday, Aug. 13, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Telephone comments and appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the UA Department of Public Safety in Gorgas Hall. The local contact is Capt. Chuck Gailes, 348-8393.

Those wishing to offer written comments about UA’s Department of Public Safety’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320. Fairfax, Va., 22030-2201.

Gailes, the accreditation program manager for UA’s Department of Public Safety, 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 offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are: Capt. Jim Carmody, Port Huron, Mich. P.D., team leader; Cmdr. Brian Seastone, University of Arizona, Tucson P.D.; and Capt. Terry Clanton, Kannapolis, N.C. P.D.

Once the commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted reaccredited status, Gailes said.

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.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., write the commission at 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201; or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225.