The Iowa Department of Public Safety could receive its third-consecutive CALEA approval.
By Molly Hunter
DES MOINES — The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies held a public meeting as part of the process to reaccredit the Iowa Department of Public Safety on Monday.
William Munday, the team leader from CALEA assessing Iowa Public Safety, said the public meeting is a new concept for the commission.
“For state law-enforcement agencies, in the past, a public hearing wasn’t necessary,” he said. “It was just for the major metropolitan area police departments or sheriff’s departments in a local region, so people could come in and give any suggestions or anything they wanted to say about the agency to the CALEA assessors.”
CALEA officials made the decision to begin holding public meetings as part of the state agency accreditation process, Munday said.
The meetings are a chance for Iowa Public Safety to get feedback and information outside of the documentation and testimony provided by the department itself.
“It’s good to see people come out to this sort of thing,” Munday said. “It gives people in the community an opportunity to come before the assessors, who are the eyes and ears for the commission, and give feedback.”
The job of the assessors is to ensure each agency’s policies meets CALEA’s accreditation standards, Munday said.
The Iowa Public Safety press release said the assessors come from agencies similar to the one being reviewed.
Munday is a retired member of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. He owns his own consulting business and does CALEA work on a subcontracted commission. Cindy Ledford, the other CALEA assessor reviewing Iowa Public Safety, also works as an agent with the Georgia Bureau for Investigation.
“These assessors will review written material, interview individuals, and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed,” the press release said. “Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status.”
Munday said the agency must be in compliance with all 486 CALEA standards applicable to a state agency.
“The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services,” the press release said.
Iowa Public Safety was initially accredited in 2011. Charis Paulson, the director of administrative services in the department, said the agency received its most recent award three years ago.
If Iowa Public Safety is reaccredited, it will be the department’s third award from CALEA. Ledford said the accreditation cycle takes place every three years.
Iowa City police are currently accredited by CALEA. In March, they were reaccredited for the fifth time since its initial accreditation in 2002.
“You wouldn’t go to a university that was not accredited,” Munday said. “I don’t see any difference for law enforcement. It’s a good business model. It’s difficult to achieve. Some agencies think they want to be accredited, but they just can’t get over the hump and all the standards. It’s a lot of work.”
