The University of Arizona Police Department is seeking reaccreditation next week. And in the upcoming days, UAPD will also be seeking out members of the UA community to participate in a public hearing about the reaccreditation.

The hearing, Monday in Room 205 of the Swede Johnson building, 1111 N. Cherry Ave., is a mandatory step the department must take to be reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. It is also an opportunity for the community to voice its thoughts about UAPD.

"We are basically providing people the opportunity to speak," Commander Kevin Haywood said. "Comments can run the gamut; we've had people complain about traffic citations and give us compliments."

Because we have to follow a set of nationwide standards, it helps to keep us accountable - Kevin Haywood UAPD Commander

CALEA, which is made up of members of both the civilian and law enforcement communities, has generated a list of 443 different standards that agencies seeking accreditation need to fulfill to varying degrees.

"Law enforcement agencies seek accreditation to ensure that their organizations are providing top quality service to their communities," said James O'Dell, chairperson of the committee. "Communities appreciate that their local law enforcement is held to a higher standard, which leads to better service."

The standards establish guidelines for creating written policies to address a wide array of issues affecting the agencies, such as requiring a code of ethics, a clear statement of objectives and goals, arrest procedures and minimum equipment standards.

"It's a motivator for the department," Haywood said. "Because we have to follow a set of nationwide standards, it helps to keep us accountable."

The standards are broken down into mandatory and other-than mandatory standards. All agencies seeking accreditation must meet mandatory requirements, and meet 80 percent of the other-than mandatory standards, Haywood said.

One mandatory standard is for agencies to have written statements of their goals and objectives. That and other mandatory standards are seen as those that are central to life and safety, Haywood said.

Other-than mandatory standards include a requirement for routine evaluations of department objectives. Though standards of this type are not required, UAPD has attempted to fulfill all applicable standards, Haywood said.

The UAPD has been accredited since 1993. It was the third law enforcement police agency to be accredited in the state and the fifth university police agency to be accredited nationwide, Haywood said.

CALEA member agencies are reaccredited every three years. A team of assessors from the commission will be on campus next week to rate the department.

Anyone who wishes to review the standards for CALEA can find them in a green binder at the UAPD station on the corner of North Campbell Avenue and East First Street.

People who cannot attend the hearing can call 626-9456 on Monday between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and make their statements. Written comments can be mailed to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc., 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, VA 22030-2201.

For more information about CALEA, call 1-800-368-3757 or visit their Web site at www.calea.org.