Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 29, 1994 TAG: 9404290147
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
At a news conference Thursday, police Chief M. David Hooper was optimistic about the prospects of passing muster. But the toughest stretch of the process is still ahead, he said.
Between May 21 and 25, an assessment team will review the department, going on ride-alongs with patrol officers and surveying police records.
At 7 p.m. May 23, in the Municipal Building, city officials and the assessment team will hold a public hearing to air community concerns about the Police Department. Between 1 and 4 p.m. May 23 and 24, assessment team members will answer a public-comment telephone line. Citizens can call 981-2690.
In July, police officials will fly to Grand Rapids, Mich., to take part in a series of hearings before the national commission. A final decision is expected on July 30.
While accreditation is voluntary, it is much sought after by police departments, because it lends credibility, standardization and professionalism to the department. If attained, city officials expect accreditation to bolster Roanoke's draw for new business and industry and the police department's clout when it comes to litigation.
"It is a manner by which we can measure a police department based on national standards," said George Snead, director of public safety. "It will generate a greater sense of pride by the police officers and increase the quality of police services to the citizens ... There's more opportunity for growth and development for a department and each individual officer."
In Virginia, 31 police departments are accredited, including Roanoke County, Blacksburg and Lynchburg. The process - sponsored by the Fairfax-based Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (Calea), Inc. - can be lengthy and arduous, said Calea program manager Stephen W. Mitchell.
To attain accreditation, a police department needs to meet 897 standards. Elements such as incident documentation, community outreach and recruitment policies are surveyed in the process.
In the city's case, accreditation has been slowed because initially there was not enough staffing dedicated to updating the department's guidelines, Hooper said. That changed 17 months ago when Hooper appointed a four-member, full-time team to the effort.
The team pored over documents and procedures that date back to the turn of the century. Once they were updated, officers were retrained with the new guidelines. The task was "monumental," said Lt. W.D. Jobe, a team member.
The department's self-examination parallels an internal investigation into possible use of excessive force by two police officers who responded to a domestic dispute on April 16.
Hooper would not comment Thursday on specifics of the incident, but said there was no indication of a breach of police policy in this case. He added that the allegations would not affect the assessment committee review.
by CNB