Wednesday, November 26, 2003
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Wednesday, November 26, 2003 |
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PTC police reaccredited by agency By JOHN MUNFORD The Peachtree City Police Department was awarded its fourth consecutive international reaccreditation Saturday by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. in Colorado Springs. The reaccreditation process evaluates the department’s compliance with a host of standards covering all aspects of law enforcement, said Police Chief James Murray. The department underwent a site inspection earlier this year by three CALEA examiners who went through mounds of paperwork and spoke to numerous officers during formal interviews and patrol ride-alongs, Murray said. The accreditation “is a recruitment tool for outstanding police officers,” Murray said. It also helps protect the city from lawsuits by insuring appropriate policies are in place to handle a variety of issues, he added. “A lawsuit could easily cost the city $10 million,” Murray noted. Accreditation also increases the level of the department’s professionalism by having its actions reviewed by an outside agency, the chief said. None of the on-site examiners returned any of the department’s files as being incomplete or not in compliance with the accreditation standards, Murray said. Department officials were also questioned for about 20 minutes by a CALEA subcommittee before the entire CALEA commission voted to approve the reaccreditation of the department, Murray said. Although much of the credit goes to accreditation manager Lt. Rosanna Dove and Maj. Mike DuPree, each officer in the department played an active role in the accreditation process, Murray said. “For us, it’s a culmination of three years of working really hard,” Murray said. About 500 departments in the world have received international accreditation, Murray said. The accreditation certificate will be presented to the City Council Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. at the beginning of the council meeting.
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