Accreditation Assessment Team for University of Baltimore Police Invites Public Comment
June 12, 2020
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will begin a virtual assessment on July 6 to examine all aspects of the University of Baltimore Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Acting Captain Jason Kunz has announced.
As part of the virtual assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments via a call-in process on Monday, July 6. The public may call 410.837.4957 that day between the hours of 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Persons wishing to submit written comments about the University of Baltimore Police Department's ability to comply with the standards of accreditation/recognition are requested to write to the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Va. 20155, or send an email to calea@calea.org.
Verification by the team that UB Police are meeting the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation—a coveted recognition of public safety professional excellence.
Telephone comments 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 1319 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Md. 21201. The contact for this information is Nicole Svehla, at 410.837.5529.
The University of Baltimore Police Department must comply with 189 standards in order to gain accredited/recognized status, Kunz said. The department has maintained CALEA accreditation since 2013.
The CALEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Program Manager for the University of Baltimore Police Department is Laura Saunders. She 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 John Headrick and Debbie Gailbreath.
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/recognition status, Saunders stated. Accreditation/Recognition covers a four-year period, 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., write to the Commission at the same address or email listed above.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.