PHILADELPHIA-- A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. will arrive Saturday, April 17, to examine all aspects of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief of Police Thomas A. Rambo announced today.

Verification by the team that the University of Pennsylvania Police Department meets the Commission state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to retain its accreditation a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, Rambo said. The University of Pennsylvania Police Department was initially accredited by CALEA in 2001.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 7 p.m. Monday, April 19.  The session will be conducted in the University of Pennsylvania Police Department Headquarters Building, 4040 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.

Individuals who cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team may do so by calling 215-573-6674 on Tuesday, April 20 between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency ability to comply with CALEA standards. A copy of the standards is available at the University of Pennsylvania Police Department Headquarters Building.

Local contact is Lt. Gary Heller, Accreditation Manager, at 215-573-5681.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the University of Pennsylvania Police Department's ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215.

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department has to comply with 330 standards in order to maintain its accredited status, Rambo said. By maintaining its accredited status, the chief added, the University of Pennsylvania Police Department will remain the only University police department in the state to achieve this status. Re-accreditation will keep the UPPD in an elite group of professional law enforcement agencies recognized and rewarded by CALEA.

The Accreditation Program Manager for the University of Pennsylvania Police Department is Karen B. Shepard, a member of CALEA staff. Shepard said that the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are:

Team Leader: Chief William F. New, Jr., Director of Public Safety, Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Dept.; 843-767-7033 or bnew@chs-airport.com.

Team Members: Lt .Paul S. Willingham, University of Texas at Houston Police Dept.; 713-563-2137 or pwilling@mdanderson.org.

Deputy Chief Kevin C. Simpson, Hinsdale, Illinois Police Dept.; (630) 789-7089 orksimpson@villageofhinsdale.org.

Once the Commission assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency should maintain its accredited status, Shepard said.

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 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215; or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225.