A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive Oct. 1, 2017 to examine all aspects of the Burlington Township Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, PSD Bruce Painter announced on Sept. 7.
Verification by the team that the Burlington Township 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 public safety professional excellence, he said. As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Oct. 2, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Burlington Township Council Chambers located at 851 Old York Road in Burlington, NJ.
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 (609) 239–0524 on Oct. 2, 2017 between the hours of 2:00 p.m and 4:00 p.m.
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 Burlington Township Police Department lobby. The local contact is Lt. James Sullivan.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Burlington Township 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 Burlington Township Police Department has to comply with 412 standards in order to gain accredited status, PSD Painter said. 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. please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352- 4225 or email calea@calea.org.
