CARBONDALE – The City of Carbondale Police Department is pleased to announce details of an upcoming On-Site Assessment by an official with the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP). ILEAP is an organization dedicated to ensuring professional policing agencies in the state of Illinois. State and federal law, as well as best practices, are the guiding standards for the assessment. A summary of the ILEAP accreditation program can be found on the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police website. Below are a few highlights from the website:   

• Accreditation is the ongoing process whereby agencies evaluate policy and procedure against established criteria, and have compliance with those criteria verified by an independent and authoritative body, the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Council.
• The criteria, or standards, are policy development guidelines that represent a level of quality service delivery.
• The true indicator of compliance lies with an evaluation by trained, independent professional peers.
• The establishment of meaningful and professional standards and an evaluation for compliance to those standards are, therefore, the two fundamentals of an accreditation program.  
• The standards are divided into four general subject areas: Administration, Operations, Personnel, and Training. All are mandatory except for those deemed “not applicable” by function.

The Carbondale Police Department is seeking accreditation in the “Tier 2” status. This is the most comprehensive list of standards and would represent a great achievement for the police department. 181 individual standards in Tier 2 must be met to be considered for accreditation.

The ILEAP Assessor for this event will be Macomb Police Chief Jeff Hamer. Hamer was appointed Chief of Police for the Macomb Police Department. Chief Hamer has a BS in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University as well as a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Lewis University. Hamer is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command (323rd). Chief Hamer is also the ILEAP Director for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. In this role, Chief Hamer coordinates the accreditation process for accredited agencies as well as departments preparing to become accredited. https://public.powerdms.com/CarbondalePD/documents/2974006

Carbondale Police Chief and Interim City Manager said, “The staff at the Carbondale Police Department work hard to be the professional policing agency that the citizens of Carbondale can be proud of. This effort is a part of our commitment to providing a transparent overview of how successful we are in the day-to-day and year-to-year operations of this agency.”

One important part of the On-Site Assessment is an opportunity for the community to talk directly to the assessor about their experiences with the Carbondale Police Department. Chief Hamer will be available for phone calls from citizens on Dec. 16 from 11:30 to 12:30. Callers can dial the non-emergency number, 618-457-3200, and hit extension 443 to speak directly with Chief Hamer about your experiences with the Carbondale Police Department. If the line goes to voicemail, please leave a message so we can ensure that you are called back as soon as possible.