Full Notification

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on April 2, 2011 to examine all aspects of the Tustin Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services, Chief Scott Jordan announced today.

Verification by the team that Tustin Police Department meets the Commission’s state of the art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement excellence, he said.

As a part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a Public Information Session on Monday, April 4, 2011at 5:00 pm. The session will be conducted in the City of Tustin Council Chambers, located at 300 Centennial Way, Tustin, CA.

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/she may do so by telephone. The public may call (714) 573-3319 on Monday April 4, 2011 between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team.

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’s standards. A copy of the CALEA Standards Manual is available at the Tustin Police Department. Please contact Lt. Pat Welch at 714-573-3282.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Tustin Police Department’s ability to comply with the Standards for Accreditation may send them to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Ste. 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155; attention Stephen Mitchell.

The Accreditation Program Manager for the Tustin Police Department is Lt. Pat Welch. He said the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out of state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The Assessment Team will be comprised of two experienced CALEA assessors, namely, Deputy Chief Bernard ‘Jay” Murphy, Cape Coral Police Department, Cape Coral, Florida; and Deputy Chief Barry Hines, Arlington Police Department, Arlington, Texas.

Once the Commission’s 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, Chief Jordan stated.

Accreditation is for three years, during which 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. (CALEA), please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Ste. 320, Gainesville, VA 20155, or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225. Additional information may be accessed at http://www.calea.org