03/05/2024
SUFFOLK POLICE DEPARTMENT
ACCREDITATION ASSESSMENT TEAM INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT
The Suffolk Police Department is scheduled for a virtual assessment from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, lnc. (CALEA) from March 29 through April 5, 2024, as part of a program to achieve re-accreditation in law enforcement by verifying it continues to meet professional standards. The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services. The Suffolk Police Department must comply with approximately one hundred and sixty-three standards, which, in turn, contain over three hundred bulleted sub-standards in order to maintain an accredited status.
As part of the virtual assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments to CALEA and their assessors regarding the Suffolk Police Department. CALEA has established an on-line portal to receive citizen comments. A link to the portal can be found on the Suffolk Police Department’s website on the home page of www.suffolkpd.com under the heading of CALEA. For those that choose to go directly to CALEA’s site the link of https://cimrs2.calea.org/476 is an option. For this virtual assessment, there will be no in person public comment period offered by CALEA.
In keeping with the belief of transparency with the community, a copy of the standards being assessed by CALEA are available for review at the Suffolk Police Department Headquarters located at 111 Henley Place. Contact the Accreditation Manager, Master Police Officer Andrew Fenneman, at 757-514-7959 for an appointment.
Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. The Suffolk Police Department is community-oriented, and public trust is an integral part of its function on a day-to-day basis. This rigorous process offers a transparency to the public, which mutually benefits both parties so that the Suffolk Police Department can work together to build and support the most viable community possible. Enrollment in the CALEA Accreditation process is strictly voluntary, as most Departments would not be able to reach compliance with the strict accountability standards that are required. Only a small percentage of all Police Departments in the nation are accredited, as it takes the highest level of commitment to excellence to be able to comply with all of the requirements. By once again voluntarily subscribing to this strategic and comprehensive re-accreditation process, the Suffolk Police Department has attested to its commitment to the citizens of Suffolk.
Anyone wishing to submit written comments, outside of the on-line portal, about the Suffolk Police Department's ability to comply with the standards for re-accreditation may send them to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, lnc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 160, Gainesville, VA 20155, or email [email protected]
