A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive in Arlington September 7 to examine all aspects of the City of Arlington Dispatch Services Division's policy and procedures. As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments by calling 817-575-8542 between 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. on September 10, 2013.

Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency's ability to comply with CALEA's standards. A copy of the standards is available online at webapps.arlingtontx.gov/tmp/dispatchservices or by making an appointment to view the standards in Dispatch Services.

"Arlington's Dispatch Services Division must comply with a total of 218 standards in order to gain re-accredited status," said Dispatch Communications Administrator Rhonda Shipp said. "CALEA's standardization and documentation of policies and procedures ensures a consistency of services to our citizens and visitors to Arlington."

The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. Once the Commission's 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.

"Verification by the team that Arlington's Dispatch Services Division meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a process to gain re-accreditation - a highly prized recognition of 911/Dispatch excellence," said Shipp. Accreditation is for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.