Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron announced on April 13, that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on Saturday April 24, 2010 to examine all aspects of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office policies, procedures, management, operations and support services.
Sheriff Cameron further reports; verification by the assessment team that the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to achieve re-accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.
As 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 26, beginning at 6 p.m. Individuals interested in speaking are required to sign-in between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The session will be conducted at the St. Mary’s County Government Complex in Room 14 of the Potomac Building located at 23115 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown, Maryland 20650.
If for some reason an individual is unable to attend 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 (301) 475-4444 on Sunday, April 25, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 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’s standards. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is required to address the compliance of 464 standards in order to gain accredited status, Sheriff Cameron said. A copy of the CALEA standards is available for review in the lobby of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office located at 23150 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown Maryland.
Ms. Pamela McKay, the Accreditation Manager for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office reports the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview community representatives, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessment team includes team leader, Major Terry Clanton of the Kannapolis Police Department (North Carolina) and Captain Richard Lane of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (Florida). Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, a report is made to the full Commission. A formal committee hearing and review of the assessment report will occur in July 2010; when CALEA commissioners will determine if the agency is worthy of re-accreditation.
Accreditation is a process involving three year cycles, during which the agency must continually self evaluate policies and practices, and report annually attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
For more information on CALEA, or to offer written comments about the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office ability to meet the standards for re-accreditation please write to or contact: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201; or call (800) 368 – 3757 or (703) 352 – 4225.