Chief Willie R. Williams announced that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on the campus of North Carolina Central University on Saturday, December 5, 2009, to examine all aspects of the Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

Verification that the department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is a voluntary process. The accreditation is a highly prized recognition of professional excellence in law enforcement.

As part of the on-site assessment, university employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session Monday, December 7, 2009, at 6 p.m. and continue until all speakers have had an opportunity to address the assessment team. The session will be conducted in the Alphonso Elder Student Union, 507 Nelson Street, Durham, N.C.

If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to offer comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone. The public may call (919) 530-6910, on Monday, December 7, 2009, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to ten minutes and must address the department’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the NCCU Police Department, 2010 Fayetteville Street.

Persons wishing to offer written comments may send them to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201.

The Accreditation Manager for NCCU’s Police Department is Charles Simpson. The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be observed. The assessors are: Robert C. Fey, assistant chief of police, Ball State University Police, 200 North McKinley Avenue, Muncie, In. 47306 and Susan Lowrey, University of Vermont, 284 East Avenue, Burlington, Vt. 05405-3461. Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the department, they report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write the Commission at 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201; or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225 or <http://www.calea.org>.

For further information, you may contact Charles Simpson, NCCU Police Department – Administrative Officer, at (919)530-6106 or <csimpson@nccu.edu>.