[Archived] Sheriff’s Office, Accreditation Assessors Seek Public Comment

For Immediate Release: April 2, 2018

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on Sunday, April 8 to examine all aspects of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services. Verification by the team that the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary accreditation process.

As part of the assessment, members of the community and agency personnel are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, April 10 at 5 p.m. The session will be conducted in Circuit Court Room 3 at the Alexandria Courthouse at 520 King Street in Alexandria.

If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, they may do so by telephone. The public may call 703.746.5005 on Monday, April 9 from 3 p.m. to 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 Sheriff’s Office by contacting Debra Defreitas, Accreditation Manager II, at 703.746.5027.

Those wishing to offer written comments about the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: CALEA, 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA, 20155.

The Sheriff’s Office has to comply with more than 300 standards in order to remain accredited. Accreditation is for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. CALEA first accredited the Sheriff’s Office in 1990 and the Office has been reaccredited every term since then.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please call CALEA at 703.352.4225 or email calea@calea.org.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or an alternative format, call Bernard Baldwin at 703.746.5011, Virginia Relay 711.