Collierville, TN, 10/25/2021 - Chief Dale Lane announced today that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), through a virtual format, will examine all aspects of the Town of Collierville Police Department's policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services in an upcoming assessment.

Verification by the team that the Collierville Police Department meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain advanced accreditation - a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence.  The Department has been accredited since March 1995 and is currently seeking their 9^th award of accreditation.  

As part of the virtual assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at 4:00 PM.  The session will be conducted virtually utilizing the Zoom teleconference platform and will be held at the Board of Mayor and Alderman Chamber at Collierville Town Hall located at 500 Poplar View Parkway, Collierville, TN 38017. 

If for some reason an individual cannot attend the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone.  The public may call 901-457-2505 on Monday, November 8, 2021, between the hours of 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.

Telephone comments as well as comments at the online 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 Town of Collierville Police Department.  Local contact is Mr. Bill Bradham, telephone number 901-457-2573.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Town of Collierville Police Department's ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write to:  Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 1357 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA  20155.  Comments may also be submitted by email to calea@calea.org.

The Collierville Police Department is required to comply with 401 applicable standards in order to continue advanced accredited status.  "Advanced Law Enforcement accreditation provides the Collierville Police Department a process for accountability to the citizens and public which the Department serves", Chief Lane said.

The CALEA Program Manager for the Collierville Police Department is Mr. Vince Dauro.  He said the assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies.  The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and view offices, locations and equipment and processes virtually where compliance can be verified.

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 be granted accredited status.

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