Submitted Photo
Giving credit where credit is due, Mayor Mike Collins, Commander Kevin Greco, and Sergeant Jennifer Myers present the department’s CALEA Certification at a board meeting in December.
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
Operating at the highest standards, the members of the Plainfield Police Department have now received a pair of certifications acknowledging that hard work.
The PPD received its reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) earlier this year, with the accreditation formally presented to the members of the village board on Dec. 5.
This is the third time that the department has completed the accreditation process.
That process included a rigorous self-assessment of policies and practices, weighing them against national and international standards.
Following that, special assessors dig into the department’s operations, reviewing those policies and practices, conducting interviews of personnel, taking part in ride-alongs, and engaging the community through a public feedback process.
The decision to reaccredit is rendered by a governing body of 21 officials following a public review.
“We find this is a very big deal for the police department,” Commander Kevin Greco said.
The department first began the process of accreditation in 2006, and reached accreditation in 2010, 2013, and again this year. The commission will now move to approve accreditation for four-year periods.
“It’s 484 polices that they review. There are a few of those polices that they pull out, and say, show us the process, show us how you are doing it, and we have to,” Greco said. “It is a very big deal.”
The department was also awarded an Emergency Management Agency (EMA) certification, following a long review by Will County EMA officials. The county certified the village’s use of its operations plans, drill, and exercises.
“It goes without saying that the EMA personnel for the village Plainfield does an outstanding job,” Greco said. “They’re constantly training and trying to improve. Of course, they make our job on the police department a whole lot easier by having all those volunteers ready and willing to help out at any time.”
The EMA certification is effective for two years.