A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agency (CALEA) will arrive in Tacoma next month to examine all aspects of the Tacoma Police Department’s policies and procedures, management operations, and support services.

According to City of Tacoma officials, national accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, which only 2 per cent of police agencies nationwide possess. In Washington State, just eight out of 237 law enforcement agencies are CALEA accredited. The Tacoma Police Department is the only agency in Pierce County to attain or retain this distinction.

As part of the on-site assessment, employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments to the assessment team at a public information session on Mon., Aug. 5 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Tacoma Police Headquarters, located at 3701 South Pine Street (Room 1210).

Additionally, employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments to the assessment team by calling (253) 591-5274 on Mon., Aug. 5 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. According to City of Tacoma staff, this is a non-recorded, non-monitored line. As such, you will not be able leave a message and may get a busy signal. Telephone comments, as well as appearances at the public information session, are limited to 10 minutes each and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA standards.

Finally, employees and members of the community wishing to offer written comments about the Tacoma Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation should write to Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155.