
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 27, 1994                   TAG: 9405270095
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE POLICE NEAR ACCREDITATION

Administrators at the Roanoke Police Department savored the taste of accomplishment Thursday: The department got the unofficial nod of approval from a three-member assessment team, which pushed the city's police force closer to accreditation.

For five days, the assessment team, which included officers from Maine, Vermont and Georgia, rode along with patrol officers, viewed field operations and answered calls from a public-comment hot line. They were evaluating the Police Department on 897 standards established by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, based in Fairfax.

Police Chief M. David Hooper said the team acknowledged that all of the standards were met by the Roanoke Police Department.

"I was impressed with the fact that the team had very few areas of concerns," said Lt. W.D. Jobe, accreditation program manager for the city police. "They made some polishing recommendations. And they made the comment that our policies and procedures were very strong."

Part of the on-site assessment is a public hearing, which the team held for the Roanoke Police Department on Monday night. Six people spoke, primarily in favor of the department's policies. A former officer and his wife spoke about the failure of the police administration to meet their counseling needs after the officer shot and killed two suspects.

"I didn't really know what to expect that night," Hooper said. "But there are no real burning issues within the community at the moment. There are no real emotional issues. I think what the team saw and heard was pretty typical."

The next step is for the assessment team to file a written report with the commission members. In late July, Hooper will fly to Grand Rapids, Mich., for a series of hearings before the commission. A final decision is expected July 30.

Hooper said accreditation has been a personal goal of his since the department began seeking it five years ago. Accreditation lends credibility, consistency and clout, particularly in legal cases against the department, he said.

"Accreditation is one of the best things in the future of law enforcement," Jobe said. "It lays out the guidelines that are not only accepted by other police officers but [also] by the larger community."

The commission on accreditation - which includes members of law enforcement agencies, the criminal-justice system and municipal governments - has accredited about 280 law enforcement agencies nationally. In Western Virginia, Blacksburg and Roanoke County have the only accredited police departments. Lynchburg's also is among the 31 accredited Virginia departments.

by CNB