Accreditation Assessment Team for JSU Police Department Invites Public Comment

07/20/2012

Chief Shawn Giddy, Director of Public Safety of the Jacksonville State University Police Department, announces that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on August 5, 2012. The assessors will examine all aspects of the Jacksonville State University Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

Verification by the team that the Jacksonville State University Police Department meets the Commission’s standards of excellence is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The JSU Police Department was first accredited in 1997 and received their re-accreditation in 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009. 

As part of the on-site assessment, University employees, students and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session that will be held at Jacksonville State University on August 6, 2012 beginning at 3 p.m. The session is located in the auditorium of Wallace Hall, room 200. Comments to the assessors may be given in person at this time. Directions to the public information session are available by calling or visiting the JSU Police Department at 1-256-782-5050 in Salls Hall.

Employees and the public who are unable to attend the public information session in person may call the assessment team on August 6, 2012. The assessors may be reached by dialing a private and unrecorded line at 1-256-689-2018 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Telephone comments or personal appearances at the public information session are limited to ten minutes and must address the Jacksonville State University Police Department’s ability to comply with standards for re-accreditation. A copy of the standards is available at the Jacksonville State University Police Department by contacting the Accreditation Manager, Sergeant Rob Schaffer. Written comments may be sent to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155.

The Jacksonville State University Police Department must comply with all mandatory standards in order to gain accredited status. The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from out of state agencies. Mr. David Hobson is the team leader from Eastern Kentucky University. Mr. John Boal is the team member from the University of Akron. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. 

Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if our agency will be re-accredited. The re-accreditation cycle is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards. 

For any additional 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 1-800-368-3757 or 1-703-352-4225 or email at calea@calea.org