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CALEA open forum
A public forum Monday night allowed investigators to determine if the Chattanooga Police Department is walking the talk in terms of meeting national standards.
“I’m a firm believer that this process makes you a much better agency,” said Newport News, Va., Police Chief James Fox, who’s overseeing the accreditation process for Chattanooga’s police. “It makes you do what you’re supposed to be doing.”
More than a dozen residents and law enforcement officials spoke Monday about the department as part of the reaccreditation process through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc.
For the reaccreditation, which occurs every three years, CALEA came to Chattanooga on Saturday and will be in town through this afternoon. Monday night’s forum presented an opportunity for the public to express opinions about the department, comments later used in the assessment.
What is CALEA?
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. was created in 1979 to improve the delivery of public safety services. CALEA maintains a body of standards that accredited departments must meet, some of which include developing written directives and having a preparedness program in place. A police department must comply with 463 standards to gain accredited status. Accreditation through CALEA is essential in applying for and receiving grant money, as well as in defending the department during lawsuits.
Source: www.calea.org>
Highland Park resident Judith Schorr expressed her gratitude to the police department for helping clean up her neighborhood. Twenty years ago, the area was the No. 1 crime district in the city and today is a residential area of choice, she said.
“They have gone the extra mile, and many times they will give us their cell phone numbers and encourage us to call them any time we needed them,” she said. “And they respond.”
Loretta Prater, whose son Lesley Vaughn Prater died during a struggle with Chattanooga police in 2004, asked that CALEA investigators consider the training standards and use-of-force policies employed by the department, especially during encounters with the mentally ill.
As part of a lawsuit filed after the incident, an investigation determined that her son, who had mental health problems, died due to a condition called “excited delirium syndrome” and not because of the police.
The only overwhelmingly negative comments came from James Marine, the father of the man fatally shot multiple times by Chattanooga police in July.
He asked the investigators to consider whether police follow proper procedures and are properly trained.
“(Some residents) feel oppressed,” Mr. Marine said. “They feel the police department is out to either kill them or control them.”
Chief Freeman Cooper said he appreciated the support of fellow law enforcement agencies, as well as the public’s comments.
“It matters to us how they feel and what they think about the job we’re doing,” the chief said.
"excited delirium syndrome" is a misleading term that's nothing more than junk science used to clear LE of any wrongdoing. If several people are on top of you and with you face down and unable to breathe, of course you're going to become "excited" and "delirious" in an effort to fight for your life. This city is still has that backwoods, one stop light mentality.
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