A team of assessors will conduct a virtual assessment Monday and Tuesday of the Poplar Bluff Police Department as part of an accreditation process that looks at policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.
The PBPD is already accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), and this assessment is to renew that standing, according to Chief Danny Whiteley.
Verification by the team that the PBPD meets the commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation — a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence, he explained.
“The Poplar Bluff Police Department has to comply with 189 standards in order to gain accreditation/recognized status,” Whiteley said. “Accreditation is important to demonstrate what fine men and women we have in this department who are dedicated to providing the citizens of Poplar Bluff with the finest, most professional law enforcement services available.”
The CALEA program manager for the Poplar Bluff Police Department is Lt. Keith Hefner. He said the assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials and interview individuals. Do to COVID-19 restrictions, they will visit offices and the locations where compliance can be witnessed virtually instead of in person.
The assessors are team leader Chief John W. Bruce and team member Scott Lau.
“Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to maintain its accredited/recognition status,” Hefner stated.
Accreditation/Recognition is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. The Poplar Bluff Police Department has been accredited three times in a row beginning in 2012.
“When we initially were accredited, we were one of only three agencies south of Interstate 44, in Missouri that were accredited,” Hefner said.
The department’s good ratings come in part from their dedication to documenting pursuits and uses of force, as well as thinking proactively about issues, officials said.
“We try to find problems before they become problems, limit liability and produce a better product, is what it’s all about,” said Hefner.
Essential to the on-site assessment, employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 5 p.m. Monday, March 21, until all interested persons have had a chance to speak. Those wishing to offer comments will be able to communicate with the CALEA Assessment Team via the following methods:
Google Meet Video call link: https://meet.google.com/kfi-kprb-oca
Or dial: (US) +1 330-667-0876 PIN: 512 276 579#
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 573-785-5776 Ext: 1309 Monday, March 21, 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 the standards is available at the Poplar Bluff Police Department. Hefner is the local CALEA contact at 573-785-5776 ext. 1309.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Poplar Bluff Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation/recognition are requested to write: The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155 or via e-mail at calea@calea.org.
For more information regarding the Commission for Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write to the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155 or call 703-352-4225 or e-mail at calea@calea.org.