Accreditor evaluating Lombard police procedures

It’s been 20 years since the Lombard Police Department first sought accreditation.

But the seventh reaccreditation process now under way is still valuable in helping the department keep its insurance costs down and build relationships with Lombard residents, accreditation manager Bruce Longino said.

“It ensures the police department is meeting the needs of the public,” Longino said. “It holds us accountable for that public trust they put into us.”

Reaccreditation involves a complete review of the files the department keeps on policies such as how to make an arrest, when to use force, how to book a prisoner and how to handle evidence.

It also includes a visit from an accreditor — this time a police chief from Wyoming, Mich. — who interviews people from patrol officers to school principals to the police chief looking for what the department does well and what could be improved.

“You come in with fresh eyes,” said Jim Carmody, an accreditor for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. “You look at these things from a little bit different of a perspective.”

Carmody arrived Saturday and completed his on-site review Tuesday. He said he provided some feedback to Longino and Lombard Chief Ray Byrne. But more information will be available once the commission rules in November on whether Lombard will be accredited for another three years.

While Carmody was in Lombard, the department held a public hearing and a two-hour call-in period seeking comments, praise or complaints about its work in crime prevention, traffic safety or other police-related issues.

Only one person attended the hearing — an alum of the citizens police academy who wished to support the agency, Longino said. And all of about a dozen messages left during the call-in period were positive, Carmody said.

“There was nothing negative that came in from the public and that’s a testament to the department,” Longino said. “I’ve prepped nobody because for most of the people in this agency, (following accreditation standards) is all they’ve ever known.”

Longino said the police department’s insurance provider sets lower rates based on the fact the organization is accredited.

Going through the reaccreditation process every three years helps departments stay on top of technological advances that can help save time and money, Carmody added.

“I firmly believe today that the communities around the country are served by better trained, better educated personnel,” Carmody said. “We’ve taken our job to a level it’s never been before, and that’s what accreditation helps us do.”