Accreditation team invites comment on UFPD

November 8, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies will arrive Dec. 4 to examine all aspects of the University of Florida Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief Linda Stump has announced.

Verification by the team that the University of Florida 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, Stump said.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 4 p.m. Dec. 6. The session will be conducted in the Community Services Division classroom located next to the University Police Administration Building on Museum Road.

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 or she may do so by telephone. The public may call 352-273-3312 on Dec. 5 between the hours of noon and 4 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 24 hours a day at the police department’s front desk 352-392-5447.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the University of Florida 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 University of Florida Police Department has to comply with 376 standards in order to gain accredited status, Chief Stump said. The accreditation process provides the Police Department an independent, objective peer review of our policies and practices ensuring we are providing the best possible law enforcement services to our community.

The CALEA Program Manager for the University of Florida Police Department is Dennis Hyater. He said the assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are: Team leader, Capt. Alfred Miller, Prince William County Criminal Justice Academy, Prince William County, Virginia; Assessors – Lt. William Buckbee, Kent State University Police Department, Ohio.

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, Mr. Dennis Hyater stated.

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. please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call 800-368-3757 or 703-352-4225 or www@calea.org.