A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will begin working on December 6, 2021 to examine all aspects of the Kannapolis Police Department’s policies, procedures, management, operations, and support services. The Kannapolis Police Department has been accredited for 21 years and is seeking a seventh re-accreditation by the Commission.
Verification by the team that the Kannapolis 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. As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public input session at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at Kannapolis City Hall & Police headquarters, located at 401 Laureate Way. The session will be held in the executive conference room on the 2nd floor.
If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, they may do so by calling 704-920-4127 from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
Telephone comments, as well as comments made at the public input session, are limited to five minutes, and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. If the public has questions regarding the specific Law Enforcement standards or standard topics, they may contact the police department at 704-920-4000 or email the Law Enforcement Accreditation Manager Lori Parker at lparker@kannapolisnc.gov.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Kannapolis Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155.
The CALEA assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, out-of-state agencies. There are 458 CALEA standards for law enforcement and the Kannapolis Police Department is to show compliance with 367 applicable standards.
The assessors will review written material, interview individuals, community members, professional staff and virtually tour facilities where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are:
Team Leader –Chief Mark Scott, Americus (GA) Police Department
Team Member- Captain Kevin Newman, Madison (MS) Police Department
Kannapolis Police Chief Spry said, “CALEA Accreditation is very important to the Kannapolis Police Department and to the citizens we serve. We have been accredited for 21 years and that is a testament to the professionalism of this agency and commitment to the process. While we aren’t perfect our personnel strive to be and the public should have a high level of confidence in us.”
CALEA assessments are ongoing over a four-year cycle. The agency must submit yearly reports and participate in annual web-based assessments attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. At the end of the four-year cycle, an On-Site Review occurs, followed by a CALEA hearing to obtain accreditation and then the cycle starts over again. The on-site review is taking place during the first week of December.
For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write to the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155 or call (703) 352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.