Accreditation Assessment Team for Airport Police Department Invites Public Comment
TAMPA – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive August 15, 2009, to examine all aspects of the Tampa International Airport Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services.
CALEA sends a team to verify that the Airport Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards as a part of a voluntary process to gain reaccreditation by compliance with 463 standards as opposed with 373 standards with initial accreditation in 2006.
As part of the on-site assessment, department employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, August 17, 2009, at 7 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Aviation Authority boardroom located in the main terminal, third floor, Tampa International Airport. Individuals not able to attend the public information session may voice comments by telephone. The public may call (813) 870-8700 extension 8521 on Monday, August 17, 2009, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
All 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 at the Tampa International Airport Police Department. The local contact is Lt. Scott L. Seifer at (813) 801-6049.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Tampa International Airport Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201.
The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are: Susan Wales, Team Leader, retired Director of Planning and Research and Accreditation Manager for the Salisbury, North Carolina, Police Department where she served for 27 years. Before that she taught school for 13 years. Wales has a BA degree in Special Education and Health and Physical Education from West Liberty State College, West Virginia, and a Masters degree in Education specialized in English from West Virginia University. Wales has been a CALEA Assessor for 17 years, including seven years as a team leader.
The other assessor is David Dishong who is currently serving as Accreditation Manager and the Commander of the Policy, Accreditation and Inspections Division for the Nebraska State Patrol. He has been a member of the Nebraska State Patrol for 29 years and began his career as a trooper, drug investigator and was promoted to Sergeant. After promotion to Lieutenant, he supervised the Crime Laboratory, the Intelligence/ Crime Analysis Division, Nebraska’s AFIS and the Sex Offender Registry. Dishong’s ancillary duties included chairing Nebraska’s AFIS Advisory Board, serving as Project Director of the Nebraska Law Enforcement Intelligence System and serving as Nebraska’s gubernatorial appointee to the National Consortium for Criminal Justice Information and Statistics (SEARCH).
Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review, they will report back to the full Commission which will determine the accredited status. Accreditation is granted for three years and the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
The Tampa International Airport Police Department is the third largest law enforcement agency within Hillsborough County. For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please call (800) 368-3757.
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