From Dayton Daily News
Original publication date: Jan. 20

Huber Heights, Ohio — A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. will arrive on Saturday to examine all aspects of the Huber Heights Public Safety Communications Center in its effort for re-accreditation.

The re-accreditation assessment includes review and evaluation of the agency’s policies, procedures, management, and operations; all of which are measured against 216 standards. The standards have been established to reflect the current thinking and experience of public safety communications executives and accreditation experts through development by CALEA and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, International.

Verification by the CALEA assessment team that the Huber Heights Public Safety Communications Center meets the commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation.

Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence, and is Huber Heights’ method of demonstrating its commitment to excellence.

The Huber Heights Public Safety Communications Center received its initial award of International Accreditation in November 2007 which made it the first accredited center in the state of Ohio. This effort will make Huber Heights the first in the State to receive a re-accreditation award.

Agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments to CALEA’s assessment team by calling (937) 237-3581 from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday. Calls taken by the Assessment Team will not be recorded or monitored.

Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and should be guided to address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the police division. For more information, call Kristi Warden at (937)233-1565.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Huber Heights Public Safety Communications Center’s ability to meet standards for accreditation should write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heath-cote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.

The Accreditation Program manager for the Huber Heights Public Safety Communications Center is Karen Shepherd. The assessment team is composed of public safety executives from similar but out-of-state agencies.

The assessors are Team Leader William Bleyle and Assessor Ms. Kristin Rightler. During their onsite visit and assessment, the CALEA assessors will review written materials, interview employees and citizens, and visit offices and locations where compliance can be witnessed.

Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report back to the full CALEA Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted re-accredited status.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., visit www.calea.org, write the comission, or call (800) 368-3757. 

Copyright © 2011 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy