A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive July 28, 2013 to examine all aspects of the Cornelius Police Department's policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. This assessment team is charged with verifying that the Cornelius Police Department meets the international law enforcement best practice standards. This accreditation is a voluntary process to gain international accreditation, which is a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on July 30, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Cornelius Town Hall Council Chambers located at 21445 Catawba Avenue. 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 or she may do so by telephone on July 30th between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM by calling (704) 439-2099.

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 Cornelius Police Department located at 21440 Catawba Avenue. The local contact is Christina Tadlock, Accreditation Manager (704)892-1363.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Cornelius Police Department's ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155.
The Cornelius Police Department is required to comply with 481 standards in order to gain accredited status. The CALEA Accreditation Manager for Cornelius Police Department is Christina Tadlock. The CALEA assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit officers and other locations where compliance can be witnessed and verified. The assessors are Chief Phillip Crowell and Captain Richard Brooks.

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/recognition status, Christina Tadlock stated.

Accreditation status is reviewed every three years, and the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155; or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225 or e-mail calea@calea.org.