According to Catoosa County sheriff Phil Summers, a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive Nov. 4 to examine all aspects of the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services.

Verification by the team that the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the art standards and is a part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation is a highly-prized recognition of public safety professional excellence.

The Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office has to comply with 187 standards in order to gain accreditation status, the sheriff said.

The CALEA assessment manager for the Catoosa Sheriff’s Office is deputy John Wengert, who advised the assessment team composed of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state, agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed.

The assessors are Randall Cripe of the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department in Elkhart, Ind., and director Craig Smith of the Polk State College Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety in Bridgton, Maine.

Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status.

Accreditation is for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners meeting room at 800 LaFayette St. in Ringgold.

If for some reason you cannot speak at the public session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, you may call 706-965-7138 on Nov. 5 from 1-3 p.m. Telephone comments as well as appearances 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 Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. Contact John Wengert, accreditation manager, at 706-935-2424.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote, B1vd.,Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.