Champaign police review will take place next week
CHAMPAIGN – A team from the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program will be in Champaign next week to determine if the Champaign Police Department should get the organization's top level of accreditation.
Only one other police agency in the state, the Kankakee Police Department, has met the ILEAP standards for accreditation.
Meeting the standard, said Champaign Deputy Police Chief Holly Nearing, "means that the people of the city of Champaign can be assured that the police department's policies and procedures are reflective of the best practices in the state."
The police department will be judged on the basis of 182 separate ILEAP standards, covering such subject areas as administration, operations, personnel and training.
Nearing said the department has been revising its policies and procedures since January to meet the accreditation goal.
"And not only are the policies rewritten to reflect the standards," she said, "but files are developed to show that the police department is following its own policies."
As part of the evaluation process, three ILEAP assessors – Chief Pat Solar of the Genoa Police Department, Chief Don Thomas of the Sycamore Police Department and Capt. Gordon Flider of the state police – also will take comments by phone from Champaign residents about the police department. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the department's ability to meet the ILEAP standards.
Call 403-7015 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 5 to offer comments. Those unable to call can send comments by e-mail to Solar at psolar<@>genoapd.com.
Nearing said about 90 percent of the Champaign department's policies already met ILEAP standards.
"This takes a lot of work, a commitment of both staff and money by the police department and the city, to get this done," she said. "Most departments don't do this, but we think that it's a point of pride that we do."
She said the accreditation evaluation is not related to the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Champaign boy earlier this month. Kiwane Carrington was killed by a bullet fired from a gun belonging to Officer Daniel Norbits. The officer and Chief R.T. Finney had been called to a West Vine Street address to check on a burglary in progress. A team led by state police is investigating the still-unexplained shooting.
"The timing isn't great, but on the other hand, we're confident we'll become an accredited agency," Nearing said.
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