Dubuque Police Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), will conduct a virtual assessment May 26-28, 2020 to examine all aspects of the Dubuque Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services, Mark M Dalsing, Chief of Police, announced today. The initial assessment was scheduled for the end of March but was postponed to May and changed to a virtual format due to COVID-19 concerns.
 
The team will verify that the Dubuque Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art, best practices standards as part of a voluntary process to gain advanced law enforcement re-accreditation, a highly-prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The agency was originally accredited on July 31, 1993, and received Meritorious Accreditation Awards in 2010, 2013, and 2016. This is the agency’s eighth re-accreditation assessment. Additionally, CALEA conducted four annual on-line Compliance Services Monitor (CSM) assessments of the Dubuque Police Department’s accreditation files during 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, during which the Dubuque Police Department was found to be in compliance with all standards reviewed by the Compliance Service Monitors.  
 
The public and agency employees are invited to offer comments on the agency’s services and performance at a public information telephone call in session, Tuesday, May 26, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The public may call 563-587-3820 to comment to the assessment team. Comments 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 Dubuque Law Enforcement Center upon advanced request. For further information, call Cpl. Steve Eastvedt, Dubuque Police Accreditation Manager, at 563-589-7889. Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Dubuque Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for re-accreditation are requested to write the: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., 13575 Heathcote Blvd, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155, or email comments to calea@calea.org.
 
The Dubuque Police Department complies with 484 professional standards in order to retain advanced accredited status. Accreditation is an important achievement as it assures citizens and persons dealing with the agency that it is organized and operating consistent with professional standards.  Corporal Eastvedt, Dubuque Police Accreditation Program Manager, said the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, conduct interviews, and conduct a virtual tour of the police department. The assessors are: Team Leader Chief Wayne McCoy (Retired) formerly of the Blue Springs, Missouri Police Department and Mr. Edward Goodman, who is the Accreditation Manager for the Buckeye, Arizona Police Department. Once the assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted re-accredited status.
 
Re-accreditation status, if granted, will be for a period of four years. For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, contact: CALEA, 13575 Heathcote Blvd, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155, phone 1-703-352-4225, or at www.calea.org.

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