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'•-J <br />•Vj <br />'1 <br />■A <br />A <br />'r-Ji <br />i <br />•j <br />•! <br />speciaiisis or perrorm the numoer or runctions mat <br />larger agencies could reasonably be expected to <br />employ and penbrm. <br />Third, thoMi standards that ,ire appiicaoie to an <br />agency fall into two categoncs: mandatory and non­ <br />mandatory. Agencies must comply with all applicable <br />mandatory standards. Howe\er. an agency need not <br />initially comply with more than 80 percent of the <br />applicable nonmandatory standards, although it is <br />encouraged to comply with as many of these as <br />possible. The agency may select the 80 percent wnh <br />which it chooses to comply. <br />'As a new Chirf of Police making <br />numerous changes^ the Commission's <br />manual^ 'Standards for Law Enforcement <br />Agencies,* served the department as a <br />blueprint for our development of policy and <br />procedures and helped ensure that ail our <br />areas of functional responsibility were <br />thoroughly tied together and integrated. <br />Chief I Ret. I Philip L .-ish. Jr <br />Staunton, Virginia <br />Q What if an agency Is prohibited <br />from complying with a standard? <br />If an agency' cannot comply wim a standard <br />bejause it is prohibited by legislation, labor agree­ <br />ments, court orders or case law. waivers can be <br />sought. An agency requests a waiver in writing. It <br />must be submitted to the Commission for considera­ <br />tion as soon as identified in the self-assessment <br />phase of the process. <br />Q How difficult is the task of gaining <br />compliance with the standards? <br />The .standards are designed so that compliance is <br />“attainable." although it may not be an easy matter <br />for some agencies. The standards are not considered <br />to be an unreasonable burden on any well-managed <br />law enforcement agency. <br />Qa <br />Q <br />UESTIONS ABOUT THE <br />P'R S' S" <br />Is the accreditation pmgroin a <br />voluntary one? <br />Yes. Agencies are in no way obligated to seek <br />accreditation. Inasmuch as accreditation is a volun­ <br />tary program, an agency may withdraw from the <br />program at any point in time or may suspend its <br />accreditation activities for a specific penod of time <br />following approval of eligibility and acceptance of the <br />agency’s application. Moreover, the Commission <br />neither encourages nor endorses efforts by any <br />governmental authonty to mandate accreditation. <br />I |B What law enforcement agencies are <br />eligible fo^ accreditation? <br />Eligible law enforcement agencies arc defined as <br />(1) legally constituted governmental entities having <br />mandated responsibilities to enforce laws and having <br />personnel with general or special law enforcement <br />powers; and (2) agencies providing law enforcement <br />services whose eligibility is venfied by the <br />Commission. <br />"//2 my opinion, 10 years from now...it <br />will be absolutely devastating to be a law <br />enforcement agency in the U.S. that is <br />not, in fact, accredited...! think that*s <br />exactly the way it should be.'^ <br />Chief David M. Gellatly <br />Sx vannah. Georgia <br />Q Who may submit an application for <br />agency accreditation? <br />The Commission will accept an applicauon for <br />accreditation only if it is submitted by the law <br />enforcement agency’s chief e.xecutive officer. If <br />appropnate. the application should be countersigned <br />by the chief e.xccutive officer of the agency's govern­ <br />mental entity. The signature and countersignature <br />• • •• <br />Co;.: ■■• o; >. . y. ...