Law Enforcement Accreditation On-site Assessment

 Narrative: A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., will arrive on December 4, 2010, to examine all aspects of the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office's policies and procedures, management, operations and support services, Sheriff Richard A. Meyers announced today. 'Verification by the team that the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation--international recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,' stated Sheriff Meyers. As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling (815) 319-6188 on Monday, December 6, 2010, between the hours of 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team. Agency employees and members of the community are also invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, December 6, 2010, at 6:00 PM. The session will be conducted in Courtroom - A,  located on the second floor of the Winnebago County Justice Center, 650 West State Street Rockford, Illinois.
Comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency's ability to comply with CALEA's standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, 650 West State Street, Rockford, Illinois. Individuals may contact Accreditation Manager Deputy Chief Don Gasparini Jr. at (815) 319-6184.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office's ability to meet standards for accreditation are requested to write to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155. 

  'The accreditation process has provided the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office with the standards that reflect the best professional requirements and practices for a law enforcement agency,' Sheriff Meyers said. The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar, out-of-state, agencies. The assessors are Retired Chief Daniel Boring from the Culpeper Police Department in Virginia and Lieutenant Kerry Jackson with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office in California. Once the Commission's 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 accredited status.Accreditation is for three (3) years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which they were initially accredited.For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.,   please visit the  CALEA website at  www.CALEA.org  or by telephone call 1-800-368-3757.