Sunday, April 14, 2002
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Sunday, April 14, 2002 |
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Fayetteville Police gain national accreditation By JOHN MUNFORD
The Fayetteville Police Department has been granted national accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Department and city officials accepted the award at CALEA's conference in Jacksonville March 23. To qualify for the designation, the department complied with 275 mandatory standards covering arrest procedures, records maintenance, criminal investigations and many other everyday police functions. Fayetteville Police also met 88 other non-mandatory standards. "It covers every facet of police work you could think of," said accreditation manager Lt. Beverly Trainor. "It's all about checks and balances to make the department more professional." Fayetteville Police Chief Johnny Roberts said the award speaks well of the efforts of the department's men and women and the support from citizens and the mayor and city council. "They did it," Roberts said. "I just planted the seed. They made it grow." Roberts said the accreditation shows "that we are a professional organization and that we do what is right in law enforcement. ... It shows that we are doing things right and can show it on paper and in our actions." The process, which began three years ago, involved a self-study of the department followed by an on-site assessment conducted by CALEA officials, Trainor said. When the department was presented with the award, CALEA representatives noted that the department had the largest ever attendance at its public hearing compared to the city's population, Roberts noted. The support of the community was very important, as was the support from other law enforcement agencies, the chief said. CALEA officials were also impressed by the department's juvenile crime prevention program, which involves educational efforts on topics from child abuse to sexual harassment, Trainor said. She noted that the designation also helps the department improve its chances of winning grants for special programs because of the confidence inherent with being a nationally accredited program. "They know our standards are a little higher," Trainor said. The Fayetteville department joins the Peachtree City Police Department in having national accreditation from CALEA.
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