A press release from the Crystal Lake Police Department:
Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment
CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive Monday, October 12th, 2015 to examine all aspects of the Crystal Lake Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief James Black announced today.
Verification by the team that the Crystal Lake Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of the voluntary process to attain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 beginning at 4:00 p.m. The session will be conducted at the City of Crystal Lake Municipal Complex, City Council Chambers, located at 100 W. Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, they may do so by telephone. The public may call 815-356-2449 on October 13th, 2015 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Comments will be taken during those hours by the members of the Assessment Team.
Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of the standards is available at the City of Crystal Lake Police Department, 100 W. Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
Please contact Administrative Sergeant Steve Renje at 815-356-3634 for an appointment.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the City of Crystal Lake Police Departments ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155.
The Crystal Lake Police Department has to comply with 484 standards in order to gain accredited status.
Benefits of CALEA accreditation include:
- Greater accountability within the agency
- Reduced risk and liability exposure
- Stronger defense against civil lawsuits
- Staunch support from government officials
- Increased community advocacy
Under the direction of Chief James Black, the Crystal Lake CALEA Accreditation process is under the management of Administrative Sergeant Steve Renje.
Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was originally accredited.
For more information on the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc (CALEA), please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352-4225; or email calea@calea.org.
Primary Contact: Administrative Sergeant Steve Renje, Accreditation Manager 815-356-3769.
If there was pension accreditation, which there is not, the Crystal Lake Police Department would flunk.
The Crystal Lake Police pension fund is woefully underfunded due to:
1. Legislative benefit hikes to the Downstate Police Pension Fund, and most of the local funds were already underfunded at the time of the hikes.
2. Salary hikes.
3. Diverting some of the annual employer pension contributions from pensions to hike salaries.
The same story that has been repeated ad nauseam throughout the state and local governments in Illinois and some other states too.
Illinois is the poster child of taxpayer pension abuse though.
There is no good way to solve the problem because the pensions were not designed to be sustainable given overall government spending and debt.
CALEA will just say the above is part of the accreditation process.
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Here are the latest pension figures available through COGFA.
Report on the Financial Condition of the Downstate Police and Fire Pension Funds in Illinois
May 2015
Prior to a more up to date report, figures could be obtained from the Crystal Lake Police Pension Fund but it doesn’t have a taxpayer watchdog.
Fiscal Year 2013
Market Value of Assets $28,693,210
Rate of Return 9.60%
Actuarial Value of Assets 29,300,645
Total Actuarial Liabilities 51,040,159
Rate of Funding 57.41%
Active Members 63
Retired Members 19
Average Retiree Annuity $63,999
Average Retiree Years Worked: not tracked.
Average Retiree Employee Contribution to Pension Fund: not tracked.
Average Retiree Final Salary: not tracked.
The employees will say they’ve done everything they were asked.
The legislators will say we don’t control salaries.
The village and pension fund trustees will say we don’t control benefits.
The CL Police department has been a disgrace for years.
To Chief Black’s credit, he’s trying to mend fences with the community that in many ways was abused by the Linder/Lowery thugs.
It’s time that Black reach out and apologize to the citizens who were attacked by his previous administration and give up this repeated PR charade. He knows who they are. He has yet to be proactive and apologize to those citizens.
It’s kind of funny that the “Music Man” has hit Crystal Lake.
CALEA, ACA and their ilk are basically designed so that “hick” towns buy into their “flim flam” BS and become one of the “big boys.”
In the end, when the beat cops have to fill out a hundred reports to gas up their car or the K9 officer has to jump through 20 hoops to feed his dog, it will all seem like a horrible waste of time and money.
But hey, the department will get some nice stickers and decals from the retired professionals they have been wining and dining for months.
It is true that some of the top officials will like CALEA because it adds dozens of layers insulation for them from the cops doing the actual work and of course from any hint of blame.
All I can say, and I’m sure Lisa Simpson would agree, is that if they offer two for one on a Monorail deal, just say no!