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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 6, 2005 Medford police scrutiny will include citizens By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Four years after Medford police announced a bid for national accreditation, the public will be asked to weigh in on officers’ performance. City residents are invited to an open forum the evening of Dec. 12 hosted by assessors for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). The forum and a four-hour public phone-in session are part of the police department’s week-long evaluation to prove compliance with CALEA’s 400 nationally recognized standards. Initially projecting accreditation by July 2003, the police department had to extend its contract with CALEA for an extra year, said Sgt. Steve Johnson. The process typically takes two years. Rewriting the department’s entire policy manual, implementing new procedures and proving compliance has taken much longer than expected, Johnson said. If all goes well during December’s evaluation, Medford police should have their CALEA certificate by March, he said. "What the public will experience is a much better police department," Johnson said. Advertisement City residents may be seeing benefits already. As officers over the past two years have incorporated new CALEA standards into their training and procedures, the department has seen a decrease in citizen complaints, Johnson said. A much more intensive process for documenting and investigating complaints is now in effect, Johnson said. Accredited police agencies also typically see a reduction in lawsuits and insurance premiums, the sergeant added. "Compared to doing things the wrong way, it’s well worth it," Johnson said. Medford would become the sixth law enforcement agency in Oregon to earn full CALEA recognition. Corvallis, Hillsboro and Forest Grove police; Grants Pass Department of Public Safety; and Washington County Sheriff’s Department are accredited. About a dozen other police departments statewide meet a pared-down set of key CALEA guidelines through the Oregon Accreditation Alliance. Ashland, Central Point and Eagle Point police departments meet those standards. Minimal security in the downtown police station — housed in City Hall — may be the biggest threat to achieving accreditation, Johnson said. The police department’s plea for new headquarters has gone unanswered for the past decade. The city in 2002 hired an architect to design a police headquarters, but building funds evaporated as the city’s mandated payments to the state’s Public Employees Retirement System drained city coffers, said City Manager Mike Dyal. CALEA’s seal of approval will cost the city approximately $7,500. Accreditation must be renewed every three years but runs about 40 percent less than the original cost, Johnson said. The department has paid Johnson an annual salary of about $74,500 plus benefits to focus largely on securing the department’s accreditation since 2001. Based in Fairfax, Va., CALEA was formed in 1979 to promote and recognize police excellence. More than 500 agencies in the United States, Canada and Barbados are accredited. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Medford police scrutiny will include citizens ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s