Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies to Evaluate Public Safety Communications Ce

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), will arrive June 4, to evaluate all aspects of the Drexel University Public Safety Communications Center’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Senior Associate Vice President for Drexel’s Department of Public Safety Domenic Ceccanecchio announced today.

Verification by the team that the Drexel University Public Safety Communications Center (DUPSCC) meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain CALEAaccreditation—a highly valued recognition of public safety professional excellence.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the members of the Drexel and surrounding community are invited to offer comments by calling 215-571-3596 on Monday, June 6, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency's ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Drexel University Department of Public Safety located at 3201 Arch Street, Room 350. Joseph Spera Director of operations and accreditation manager is the local contact and can be reached at 215-895-1564.

Written comments about the Drexel University Public Safety Communications Center’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are encouraged and can be mailed to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155.

The Drexel University Public Safety Communications Center has to comply with 218 standards in order to gain accredited status. Accreditation will place the DUPSCCamonga select few professional public safetycommunications agencies recognized by CALEA and peer institutions, according to Ceccanecchio.

The CALEA program manager for Drexel is Karen B. Shepard. The assessment team is composed of law enforcement and public safety communications 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: Susan Wales, Salisbury, North Carolina Police Department (team leader) and Mary (Kathy) Strickland, Cobb County, Georgia 9-1-1 Communications Bureau.

Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status, according to Shepard.

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 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155 or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225 or www@calea.org.

For more information on Drexel’s accreditation process, contact Joseph J. Spera, Director of Operations and Accreditation Manager, Drexel University Department of Public Safety, at 215-895-1564 or jjs326@drexel.edu.

News media contact:
NikiGianakaris, director, Media Relations, Office of University Communications
215-895-6741, 215-778-7752 (cell) or ngianakaris@drexel.edu