A team of assessors for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive on November 6, 2010, to examine all aspects of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, including its policy and procedures, management, operations and support services. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has to comply with 463 standards in order to gain accreditation status.  Verification by the team that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain 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 November 8 at 7:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Commissioner’s Hearing Room One located in the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Facility at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, Colorado. 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/she may do so by telephone. The public may call 303-271-5157 on November 7, 2010, between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 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. A copy of the CALEA standards is available at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Local contact is Public Information Director Jacki Kelley at 303-271-5697.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s ability to meet 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 assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies, but from out of state. The assessors review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and off-site locations where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are:

• Team Leader:
  Mr. Randall Cripe
  Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, Elkhart IN
• Team Member:
  Sergeant Curtis Winn
  Prairie Village Police Department, Prairie Village KS

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.

Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which they were originally accredited. 

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please call (800) 368-3757 or write to the Commission at:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320
Gainesville, Virginia, 20155