A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will evaluate Grand Valley Police Department (GVPD) policies and procedures, management, operations and support services beginning July 11.
The assessment is part of a voluntary process required to be accredited with CALEA, which sets standards for law enforcement excellence for law enforcement agencies throughout North America.
The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas:
- Policies and procedures
- Administration
- Operations
- Support services
As part of the assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments to the assessment team. The public may speak to an assessor by calling (616) 331-3255 on July 11 between 1 and 3 p.m.. Following the call-in session, a public information forum will be held virtually at 4 p.m. People who are interested in providing comments to the CALEA assessors during the forum should register in advance by emailing GVPD Sgt. Brian Hedberg at [email protected]. Comments may also be submitted to CALEA by mail at 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 160, Gainesville, Va., 20155, or via email to [email protected].
Telephone comments as well as those at the public information forum are limited to five minutes and should address GVPD’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. An overview of the CALEA accreditation process may be found at the organization’s website, CALEA.org.
Copies of the standards are also available at GVPD’s headquarters or by contacting Hedberg at [email protected].
GVPD’s assessment is being conducted by Commander Ernest Knight, of the University of Chicago Police Department, and Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick, of the University of Florida Police Department. The process includes a review of written materials, individual interviews and a virtual tour of campus for evidence of compliance with CALEA standards.
