BY REBECCA BENNETT — At the March 2 Hyattsville City Council Meeting, Chief Douglas Holland and Accreditation Manager Sgt. Christine Fekete were presented with a certificate of accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Craig Hartley, executive director of CALEA, presented the certificate.
According to a statement by Hartley:
The certificate itself is simply matted paper within a frame; but it has a much broader symbolic meaning.
- The certificate clearly represents the agency’s efforts to achieve accredited status thereby demonstrating its willingness to change in order to effectively address contemporary public safety concerns.
- It represents a commitment to doing the right thing and doing it the right way.
- It represents adherence to a professional code.
- Lastly, it represents an ongoing dedication to ensuring the agency’s resources are appropriately developed, effectively deployed and constantly managed; all in the name of a safer community for workers, visitors and customers.
This is the sixth time the Hyattsville City Police Department has been accredited by CALEA, according to Hartley, and the department has maintained accreditation since 1999.
