Manassas City Police Dept. wants more public comment during the reaccreditation process

Manassas City Police Department, which has been an accredited law enforcement agency since 1997, will have a reaccreditation onsite visit by a team of assessors in August, according to Lt. J. P. Bisek, who is in charge of professional standards for MCPD.

The reaccreditation, conducted by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, an independent, non-government organization known as CALEA, occurs every three years, Lt. Bisek said. This will be the sixth one for MCPD. In the next cycle, the reaccreditation process will be changing to every four years, with updates every year, he added.

As part of the reaccreditation process, the community served by the Manassas City Police Department is asked for comments on the Department’s ability to comply with CALEA standards. The city police department would like to receive more feedback from the community, Lt. Bisek said.

Members of the public can “speak out” in one of three ways. These are:

• talk to the CALEA Assessment Team by phone on Monday, Aug. 8 between 1 and 3 p.m. by calling 703-392-1464.

• in person at a public information session beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, at City Council Chambers, 9027 Center St, Manassas, Va. 20110.

• or mail written comments to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Gainesville, VA. 20155.

Lt. Bisek said that during previous reaccreditations there have been quite a few letters submitted but few comments made in person or on the phone. To encourage more participation from the public in the reaccreditation process, he said the police department is stepping up its publicity about the reassessment team’s upcoming visit. MCPD is circulating flyers and talking to city residents now. Police officers also will be talking to community members at the city’s National Night Out event on Aug. 2 to encourage more phone calls and more attendance and speakers at the public information session on Aug. 8.

A CALEA reassessment team consists of law enforcement officials from across the United States as well as judges, lawyers and others involved in the criminal justice system, Lt. Bisek said.

Prior to the team’s onsite visit, MCPD received a list of files to send to CALEA for the team to review. When the team arrives, it may ask for other files, conduct interviews, observe officers at work or make other requests.  One of the assessors complimented MCPD on its annual “Use of Force” report, Lt. Bisek added.

For more information about the reaccreditation process or to obtain a copy of the standards, call MCPD’s CALEA Coordinator, Lt J.P. Bisek, at 703-257-8020.