Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc to Assess the Beaufort County Sheriff's Depart | Eastern NC Now

Press release:

   Sheriff Alan Jordan announced today that a team of assessors composed of law enforcement commanders from out-of-state agencies from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on Sunday, February 19, 2012, to examine all aspects of the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office's policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. The assessors are Chief Michael Dickey from the Fairfield Police Department in Ohio and Captain William Dean from the Virginia Beach Police Department in Virginia.

    Verification by the team that the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to maintain accreditation. Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence that was first awarded to the Sheriff's Office in 2006. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office has to comply with 383 applicable standards in order to maintain accredited status.

    As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, February 20, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Board of County Commissioners Chambers located at 121 West 3rd Street in Washington.

    If, for some reason, an individual cannot attend the public information session, but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone. The public may call (252) 943-4631 on Sunday, February 19, 2012, between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

    Telephone comments as well as those made at the public information session should address the agency's ability to comply with CALEA's standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. Please contact Major Kenneth Watson or Mary Daniels, who is the Accreditation Manager, at (252) 946-7111 if you have any questions about the process or standards.

    Once the Commission's assessors complete their review of the agency, they report to the full Commission which will then decide if the agency is to be granted continued accredited status. Accreditation is for three years during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

    Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office's ability to meet the standards for accreditation may write to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155-6660.

    Lt. Joshua Shiflett
      Beaufort County Sheriff's Office