KCK Police Department undergoing accreditation, schedules public comment session

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department is undergoing accreditation process and is scheduled for an on-site assessment, according to an announcement.

Public comments will be invited as part of the on-site assessment, according to a news release.

The team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. is scheduled to arrive Monday, March 23, to examine all aspects of the Police Department’s policy and procedure, administration, operations and support services, the news release stated. The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in these four areas.

Members of the community and agency employees may make comments at a public information session at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, in the Commission Chambers, City Hall lobby, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan. This is part of the accreditation process.

Agency employees and the community also may share their comments by phone with the assessment team, according to the news release. A phone-in session will be conducted between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. Agency employees and the community may contact the assessors by calling 913-573-6001.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information sessions are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department Headquarters, 700 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320 Gainesville, Va., 20155.