Assessors to Visit Aberdeen Police Department for Reaccreditation Process

From the Aberdeen Police Department:

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will visit the Aberdeen Police Department to examine all aspects of police policy, procedures, management, operations and support services. As part of the on-site assessment, which occurs every three years, members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session.

The Aberdeen Police Department must comply with more than 400 standards in order to gain reaccreditation status, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

“The Aberdeen Police Department earned initial accreditation in 2015 and I am proud that we met the stringent national standards required,” said Police Chief Henry Trabert. “I’m looking forward to our second successful, transparent review of all aspects of our Department.”

The public information session will be conducted on Monday, August 6, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. The session will be held in the City of Aberdeen Council Chambers, 60 North Parke Street, Aberdeen, MD 21001.

Members of the public who cannot be present at the public information session, but would like to provide comments to the assessment team may call 410-297-3011 on Monday afternoon, August 6th, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Comments will be taken directly by the Assessment Team.

The assessment team is comprised of law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies in other states. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and visit facilities to confirm compliance with all CALEA standards. The assessors are Major Paul Baggett of the Polk County (FL) Sheriff’s Office, who is the team leader; and Lieutenant Charles Groover, Covington (GA) Police Department.

After the Commission’s assessors have completed their review of the Aberdeen Police Department, they will report back to the full Commission, which then decides if the agency is to be granted reaccreditation status.

Certification covers three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports to the Commission demonstrating continued compliance with all required standards.

Telephone comments and appearances at the public information session are generally limited to five minutes and must address the Aberdeen Police Department’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. The standards may be reviewed at the Aberdeen Police headquarters. The APD contact is Shirley Echols, who can be reached at 410-272-2121 ext.4, or by email at sechols@aberdeenmd.gov.

Anyone wishing to offer written comments about the Aberdeen Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for Accreditation may write to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Va., 20155. Written comments may also be submitted by email to calea@calea.org, with “Aberdeen Police” in the subject line.