DATE: July 20, 2020
CONTACT:
Janelle Love
Media Relations Office
(301) 609-6538 or (301) 848-4799           

ACCREDITATION ASSESSMENT TEAM INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will be conducting an assessment July 27-29, 2020, to examine all aspects of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services as part of the Sheriff’s Office’s continued efforts to maintain its accreditation.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is part of a select group of law enforcement agencies who have demonstrated professional excellence by participating in the voluntary accreditation process. The purpose of this assessment is to ensure the Charles County Sheriff’s Office continues to meet all applicable standards set forth by the Commission to achieve re-accreditation.   

Due to the restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 crisis, a contingency plan for assessment activities has been developed to perform the required activities remotely. As such, public comment will be accepted as stated below.

Agency employees and members of the community are invited to provide comments to the CALEA Assessment Team at a virtual public information session on Zoom on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at 3 p.m. To speak live during the virtual session, please send an email to calea2020@ccso.us with the following information:

  • First and Last Name,
  • Email address, and
  • If applicable, what community group, business, law enforcement agency or other organization you are representing.   

Once the above information is received, you will receive an email containing the necessary login information to access the virtual information session.

Any person who is unable to speak at the virtual public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team may do so by phone by calling 301-609-6439 on Monday, July 27, 2020, between 2-3 p.m. Calls will be accepted one at a time. Individuals should call back if they receive a busy signal.

Anyone wishing to provide comments to the assessors in writing may send an email to pgarrison@charlestoncounty.org. Comments may also be mailed to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc., 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the virtual information session are limited to 10 minutes per person and must address the Agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards manual is available at the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and may be reviewed by contacting the Planning and Accreditation Office at 301-609-6419.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com.

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