Police accreditation assessment team invites public comment

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), will arrive on Saturday, Dec. 11 to examine all aspects of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Police Department.

This assessment will include an evaluation of policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief Susan Riseling says.

Verification by the team that the University of Wisconsin–Madison 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 professional excellence.

The department has to comply with 464 standards in order to gain accredited status.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, Dec. 13 from 3-4 p.m. The session will be conducted at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery in the 1300 block of University Avenue.

If an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, they may do so by telephone. The public may call (608) 890-1377 on Dec. 13 from 4:30–6:30 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. A copy of the standards is available at the UW–Madison Police Department at 1429 Monroe St. The local contact is Lt. Benjamin Newman (608) 262-8477.