New Canaan Police Seek Public Input for Accreditation

The New Canaan Police Department is undergoing a comprehensive review of its operation as part of its reaccreditation process.

As part of its commitment to maintain their status as an internationally accredited law enforcement agency, The New Canaan Police Department is scheduled for its eighth on-site assessment. This on-site assessment, one of which is conducted every three years, is to verify that the agency continues to meet or exceed the highest professional standards of modern law enforcement.

The accreditation program is a voluntary process, administered by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), which requires that agencies demonstrate compliance with numerous professional standards. CALEA standards continually evolve to address all aspects of law enforcement best practices. During this assessment, the Department must comply with the 5th Edition of CALEA ’s Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies. Standards address every facet of the Department’s operations from budgeting and hiring practices to training and enforcement procedures. The standards are grouped into four basic areas: policies and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.

An Assessment Team, which represents the Commission, will be in New Canaan from Nov. 9 until Nov. 12. 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 that will be held in the Main Conference Room of Town Hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The CALEA Assessment Team is comprised of Lloyd Coward, Supervisory Special Agent for the Federal Protective Service (FPS) Executive Liaison to the United States Marshall Service and Michele Provencher, Supervisory Authority for the Goffstown New Hampshire Police Department.

In the event that anyone is unable to attend the public information session but still wishes to make comments, the assessment team will listen to comments by telephone on Tuesday, Nov. 10 between 1 and 3 p.m.

Anyone wishing to make comments is encouraged to do so by calling 1-203-919-8511 during the times listed. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the department’s ability to comply with the Commission’s standards.

For more information, contact the Department’s Accreditation Manager, Sgt. Christian Gray at 1-203-594-3506.

Copies of CALEA accreditation standards are available at the New Canaan Public Library, Town Hal I and Police Headquarters. Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the New Canaan Police Department’s ability to comply with accreditation standards may send them to The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, 10302 Eaton Pl., Suite 100, Fairfax, VA. 22030-2201.

For more information on the Commission, visit the website @ www.calea.org