Accreditation Team to Assess Southern Miss Police Department

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive on Monday, Dec. 1, to examine all aspects of the University of Southern Mississippi Police Department policy and procedures, management, operations and support services, Chief of Police Robert N. Hopkins announced today.

Verification by the team that University Police 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 on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 5 p.m. The session will be conducted in Room “D” of the R. C. Cook Union on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. 

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 or she may do so by telephone. The public may call 601-266-4354 on Tuesday, Dec. 2, between the hours of 3 and 5 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. The local contact is Captain Charles Chandler, at 601-266-6254.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the University of Southern Mississippi Police Department's ability to comply with the standards for accreditation should send them to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA ®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155 or www.calea.org.

The University of Southern Mississippi Police Department has to comply with 189 standards in order to maintain accredited status, Chief Hopkins said. “Accreditation is a public recognition of the hard work and dedication of all our UPD employees, whatever their position.”

The CALEA Program Manager for the University of Southern Mississippi Police Department is Vincent Dauro. He said the assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state, agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are:

• Team Leader – Assistant Chief William Buckbee, Kent State University Police Department
• Team Member – Lieutenant Darrell Birdett, University of Texas at Austin Police Department

Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status, Program Manager Vincent Dauro stated. 

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: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA ®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155 or e-mail calea@calea.org.