Vidant Medical Center Police Department Seeks Third Re-Accreditation
August 03, 2012 posted by Beth Anne Atkins
CALEA assessment team invites public comment
GREENVILLE, N.C. – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive Aug. 5 to examine all aspects of the Vidant Medical Center Police Department's policy and procedures, management, and operations, Chief Robert Stroud announced today.
Verification by the team that the Vidant Medical Center Police Department meets the Commission's state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to continue accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. The session will be held at the Edwin W. Monroe Conference Center located at 2000 Venture Tower Drive.
If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone. The public may call (252) 847-9228 on Aug. 6 between the hours of 1 – 4 p.m.
Telephone comments as well as appearances should address the agency's ability to comply with CALEA standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Vidant Medical Center Police Department. The local contact is Capt.Robert R. Sealey, and he can be reached at (252) 847-5908.
Individuals wishing to offer written comments about the Vidant Medical Center Police Department's ability to comply with the standards are requested to write CALEA at the following address:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320
Gainesville, Virginia 20155
According to Chief Stroud, the Vidant Medical Center Police Department has to comply with 480 standards in order to gain accredited status.
The accreditation manager for the Vidant Medical Center Police Department is Capt.Robert R. Sealey. Sealey said the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessment team consists of team leader, Commander Brian Childress, Valdosta (GA) Police Department; and team member, Captain James Grainger, Goose Creek (SC) Police Department.
"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," Sealey said.
Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. The health system includes Albemarle Health, Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Pungo Hospital, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice,Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com.