PHILADELPHIA – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), will arrive Saturday, December 5, 2009 to examine all aspects of the University of Pennsylvania Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department was initially accredited by CALEA in 2001, and was re-accredited in 2004 and again in 2007.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session Monday, December 7, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the University of Pennsylvania Police Department Headquarters Building located at 4040 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Public comments to the assessment team may also be submitted by phone by calling 215-573-6674 on Monday December 7, 2009 between 1 p.m. 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’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the University of Pennsylvania Police Department Headquarters Building.

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

Anyone who wants to present 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. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215.

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department must comply with 463 standards in order to maintain its accredited status. “Re-accreditation will keep the UPPD in an elite group of professional law enforcement agencies recognized and rewarded by CALEA,” Penn Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

The Accreditation Program Manager for the University of Pennsylvania Police Department is Karen B. Shepard, a member of CALEA’s 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 Linda J. Stump
University of Florida Police Department
Bldg. #51, Museum Road
Gainesville, FL 32611-2150
(352) 392-5445
lstump@ufl.edu

TEAM MEMBER: Ms. Denise Linkenhoker
Virginia Tech Police Department
Sterrett Facilities Complex (0523)
Southgate Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0523
(540) 231-1251
denisel@vt.edu