XENIA — A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), will arrive in Xenia March 16, 2020 to examine all aspects of the City of Xenia Police Division’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief Randy Person announced Monday.
Verification by the team that the City of Xenia Police Division meets the commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain re-accreditation; a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, according to Person. XPD has to comply with 480 standards in order to gain accredited status.
“Accreditation is the foundation that assures our policies and procedures provide efficient and effective professional guidelines to our officers who serve our community,” Person said.
As part of the on-site assessment, XPD employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session Tuesday, March 17 at 5:30 p.m. The session will be conducted in the City of Xenia Council Chambers, 107 E. Main St. Those who cannot be present at the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team may do so by telephone. The public may call 937-376-7224 on March 17 from 2-4 p.m.
Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the police division’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at XPD, 101 North Detroit Street and can be requested from Christina Shaw, accreditation manger, in person, or by calling 937-376-7217.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about XPD’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation should send them to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc., 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Va., 20155. The public may also contact the same address or call 703-352-4225 to learn more about CALEA.
According to Shaw, 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 witnessed. The assessors reviewing XPD are Steve Heaton and Anibal Rodriguez Aguirre. Once the commission’s assessors complete their review of XPD, they report back to the full commission, which will determine if XPD is to be granted accredited status.
Accreditation is for four years, during which the Xenia Police Division may submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
For more information 937-372-7221.
