SHERIFF’S OFFICE ACCREDITATION ASSESSMENT TEAM INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT

Sheriff Shaun Golden announced that a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) will arrive on August 18, 2013 to examine all aspects of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Division. This includes Law Enforcement Division policy and procedures, management, operations and support services.

As part of the on-site assessment, employees of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and members of the community are afforded the opportunity to offer comments at a public information session on August 19, 2013 at 7:00 pm. The session will be conducted in the Freeholder Meeting Room located on the second floor of the Monmouth County Hall of Records, Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728.

If for some 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 732-308-2980 on August 19, 2013 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Telephone comments, as well as appearances at the public information session, are limited to 5 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA accreditation standards.

A copy of the CALEA standards is available for review at the Sheriff’s Office, 50 East Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728. Contact Lt. David Finck 732-866-3562.

The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from out of state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other areas where compliance may be observed. The assessors are Team Leader Chief John Letteney of the Apex North Carolina Police Department and Captain Jill Lees of the Plainfield Indiana Metropolitan Police Department.

“Once CALEA assessors complete the review of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Division, they report back to the full commission. It will then be decided if the agency is to be granted the accredited status,” said Sheriff Golden.

Accredited status is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office must maintain compliance with a total of 480 standards in order to sustain accredited status.

“This accreditation process is important as it will maintain the high degree of professionalism within the agency and enable us to provide better service to the residents of Monmouth County,”
said Sheriff Golden. “In addition, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office will remain as the only law enforcement agency in the state of New Jersey with accreditations in all four areas of operation, which include law enforcement, corrections, correctional healthcare and communications.”

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155. For additional information about CALEA, please write to the above address or call (703) 352-4225.