Police Accreditation Team Invites Public Comment

(PRESS RELEASE)_A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will conduct a virtual on-site assessment of all aspects of the North Palm Beach Police Department’s policies, procedures, management, operations and support services. Verification that the Department meets CALEA’s state-of-the-art professional standards is part of a voluntary process to gain re-accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.
 
As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a virtual public information session on April 13 at 1 p.m. The session will take place in the Village Council Chambers located at 501 U.S. Highway 1, North Palm Beach.
 
Anyone who is unable to attend the public information session may comment by telephone between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on April 12 by calling (207) 577-0839 or (678) 618-5052. Comments also can be submitted in writing and mailed to 13575 Heathcoat Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA, 20155.
 
The Police Department must comply with 366 CALEA standards to earn re-accreditation, Police Chief Rick Jenkins said. “We continue to strive to bring a fully professional law enforcement agency to the residents of North Palm Beach. Through this re-accreditation process, we feel that we have achieved our goal. This on-site assessment will tell us if we did.”
 
The CALEA Program Manager for North Palm Beach is Vincent Dauro. The assessment team is comprised 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.
 
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 re-accredited status. The Department last earned re-accreditation in 2017. The status remains active for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
 
For more general information about CALEA, call (703) 352-4225 or visit www.@calea.org.

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