LAPD News:
Chief of Police Dino Sgambellone announced today that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive Nov. 27 in Los Alamos to examine all aspects of the Los Alamos Police Department policy and procedures, management, operations and support services.
Verification by the team that the LAPD 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, he said. As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 in Room 110 of the Los Alamos County Municipal Building, 1000 Central Ave.
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/she may do so by telephone by calling 505.662.8275 between the hours of 2-4 p.m., Nov. 28.
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 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Los Alamos Police Department in the Records Division. The copies must remain at the police department.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Los Alamos 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, Va 20155.
The Los Alamos Police Department has to comply with 484 standards in order to gain accredited status, Sgt. Daniel Roberts said.
“The entire Department has worked very hard to get us to where we are today,” Chief Sgambellone said. “I am looking forward to a successful on-site inspection by CALEA in the near future.”
Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports, and participate in annual remote web-based assessments 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., write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Va 20155; or call 703.352.4225 or email calea@calea.org.
