The Riley County Police Department is scheduled for its on-site assessment beginning Monday, December 14th, 2015 through Thursday, December 17th, 2015, to examine all aspects of our department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.
Verification by the team that the Riley County Police Department meets the Commission’s required state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to maintain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The Riley County Police Department received its initial accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 1991, and was re-accredited in 1996, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009 and again in 2012. The Riley County Police Department takes great pride in being the first Kansas Law Enforcement Agency ever accredited. Currently only seven Kansas agencies are accredited. Six Kansas agencies are in the Self-Assessment Phase.
This accreditation cycle, the department requested and was granted permission to participate in an elite process known as a Gold Standard Assessment. The Gold Standard Assessment process is a process for agencies that have historically demonstrated success with the traditional CALEA Accreditation Assessment model. The Gold Standard Assessment focuses on processes and outcomes through interviews and observations, as opposed to the traditional intensive and comprehensive file review. Although some file review occurs in the GSA process, it is typically limited to off-site work and linked to new standards or agency policy changes. Participation in a GSA is a requirement to be considered for the Accreditation with Excellence Award. This award provides agencies an opportunity to be further recognized for accomplishments related to the accreditation process.
As part of the on-site assessment, the department employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session scheduled for Wednesday, December 16th , 2015 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the City Commission Meeting Room, located at 1101 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS. The session will begin at 6:30 PM and continue until all present individual have had an opportunity to provide comments.
If for any reason 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 (785) 370-5295 on Tuesday, December 15th, 2015 between the hours of 2:00 – 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. For additional information or to obtain a copy of a specific standard contact Christi Asbe the Department’s Accreditation Manager at (785) 537-2112 ext 2270.
Anyone wishing to offer written comments about the Riley County Police Department’s ability to comply the standards for accreditation may send them to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Gainesville, VA 20155 or www.calea.org.
