FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBIANA–A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., will arrive on Monday, April 10, to examine all aspects of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services and on April 11, public input is welcome.

Verification by the team that the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to continue their accreditation—a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence.

As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, April 11, at 6 p.m. The session will be conducted at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Training Center located at 543 McDow Road in Columbiana.

If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone. The public may call 670-6028 on April 11, between the hours of 3-5 p.m.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of those standards is available at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The local contact is Lt. Mark Bishop at 670-6157.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation, 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office must comply with 167 standards in order to gain accredited status.

“The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is committed to providing the highest quality law enforcement services to the citizens and visitors of Shelby County, and our involvement with CALEA ensures that we are constantly working toward nothing less than excellence,” Sheriff John Samaniego said.

Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with these standards under which it was initially accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote, Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.