County roundup

By Staff

Published: November 15, 2008

Public comments sought for commission

On Dec. 6,  a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will examine all aspects of the Prince William County Office of Public Safety Communications' policy and procedures, management, operations and support services. Verification that the Office of Public Safety Communications meets the commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation—a highly prized recognition of professional excellence.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Office of Public Safety Communications' ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, Va., 22030-2201. Written comments should be submitted by Dec. 6, so that assessors will be able to review it during the assessment period.

The public, as well as Public Safety employees, are also invited to offer comments on Dec. 8 by calling 703-792-5251 between 1 and 5 p.m. Telephone comments 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 by contacting Hazel Colson, accreditation program manager for the Office of Public Safety Communications, at 703-792-6675.

According to Captain Ted McInteer, the office's director, "the Office of Public Safety Communications has to comply with 218 standards in order to gain accredited status." The assessment team is composed of practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies, who will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed.

Once the review of the agency is complete, the assessors report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status. 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 CALEA, please write the commission at 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, VA 22030-2201 or call 800-368-3757 or 703-352-4225.

"Community Needs" survey is offered

The Virginia Cooperative Extension wants your input on the types of educational programs you think the community needs. Please go to the link below to take a short survey:

https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id1224531570014. The survey will remain available until Friday.

Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) in Prince William is a local and state agency that provides unbiased, research-based information from the land-grant universities to the community.

VCE-Prince William's educational programs are based on the needs of the community.  Periodically this information is updated in part by conducting a community-wide needs survey.

For more information on the programs VCE-Prince William offers, go to http://www.pwcgov.org/vce or call 703-792-6289 for more information.