MEDIA ADVISORY

Mayor: Jennifer P. Dougherty

CONTACT: Nancy Gregg Poss, Public Information Officer, 301-360-3842

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, December 17, 2003

CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALLY RECEIVES CALEA ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATE THURSDAY EVENING

Frederick, Md. --- On Thursday, December 18, at 7 p.m., Ms. Mary Ann Viverette, Chief of Police of the Gaithersburg Police Department, will officially present City of Frederick Police Chief Kim. C. Dine with the City’s national accreditation certificate from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), a commission of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Chief Dine accepted the award in July 2003 in Detroit, this ceremony at the beginning of the Mayor and Board Public Meeting will simply solidify the years of work through the CALEA process where the City police department was required to meet 378 standards.

This accomplishment represents the satisfactory completion of a four-year process including agency wide self-evaluation and concluding with an outside review by a team of independent assessors.

The City of Frederick joins 26 other agencies in the State of Maryland that are accredited, certified or recognized by CALEA. Nationally, less than 700 of the 17,000 law agencies have received accreditation.

The City of Frederick Police Department must be re-accredited every three years.

Media are welcome and encouraged to attend for photo opportunities.