Contact: Teresa Small
Phone: (336) 373-2145

Greensboro Police Department Seeks CALEA Re-Accreditation

GREENSBORO, NC – (August 1, 2008) – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), will arrive in Greensboro on August 23, 2008, to examine all aspects of the Greensboro Police Department, including its policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

Verification by the team that the Greensboro Police Department meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain re-accreditation -- a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on August 25, 2008, at 7 pm. The session will be conducted in the City of Greensboro’s City Council Chamber, located in the Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington Street.

If you are unable to speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, you may do so by calling (336) 373-3288 on August 25, 2008, between the hours of 1 pm and 5 pm. 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.

Copies of the standards are available at the following Greensboro Police Department facilities:
• Melvin Municipal Office Building, Office of the Chief of Police, 300 W. Washington Street
• J. Edward Kitchen Operations Center, Watch Operations Center, 2602 S. Elm-Eugene Street
• Western Division Substation, Customer Service Representative, 300 S. Swing Road
• Eastern Division Substation, Customer Service Representative, 1106 Maple Street.

If you would like to submit written comments concerning the Greensboro Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for re-accreditation, write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215.
The local contact is Accreditation Manager Teresa Small, who can be reached at (336) 373-2145.
The Greensboro Police Department must comply with 378 standards in order to gain re-accreditation.

The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and off-site locations where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are:  Special Agent Virgil L. Young, Jr., (Team Leader); Major John B. Sidwell; and Deputy Chief Deborah Harrell.

Once the CALEA 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 accredited status. Accreditation is for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which they were originally accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., write the Commission at Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215; or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.

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The City of Greensboro works in partnership with the community to build an increased quality of life for all residents by fostering an environment where inclusion, diversity, and trust are valued. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a dedicated professional staff of 2,700 employees who maintain four core values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City of Greensboro is governed by a council-manager form of government where a mayor and eight council members act as the legislative body. For more information, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov.