MOUNT PLEASANT — An assessment team from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG), will be here next week to consider the Mount Pleasant Police Department for accreditation.

As part of the assessment process, the independent team of law enforcement professionals will examine all aspects of the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operation and support service, according to a department news release. Team members will also review written material, interview individuals, and visit offices and the places where compliance can be witnessed.

Community members are invited to offer comments to the assessment team during a public information session starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 12) in the Ebe Auditorium at Mount Pleasant Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive.

Those who are unable to attend the public information session are invited to provide comments via telephone at 262-664-7955 between 1 and 3 p.m. next Wednesday. 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 WILEAG’s standards. A copy of the standards is available on the Village of Mount Pleasant Police Department website.

Those wishing to offer written comments about the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation may write to WILEAG at PO Box 528, Hartland, WI 53029.

Capt. David Stroupe, Mount Pleasant Police Department operations captain, is serving as the department’s accreditation manager. He can be reached at 262-664-7951.

WILEAG and accreditation

After the assessment team has completed its review, it will report back to the full WILEAG Board, which will then decide if the Mount Pleasant Police Department is to be granted accredited status.

Accreditation status is granted for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

The WILEAG accreditation is voluntary. The statewide accreditation organization was created in 1995 by the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association as a less-expensive alternative to the national organization, The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)

CALEA charges nearly $20,000 to join, with another $5,700 in annual membership fees. By contrast, WILEAG offers full accreditation for a $300 initiation fee and a $650 annual fee. It also offers partial accreditation for a $100 initiation fee and a $350 annual fee.

Only about 8% of the state’s 560 eligible law enforcement agencies are fully accredited by WILEAG, The Badger Project investigative journalism website reported earlier this year. Another 19 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies have earned partial accreditation. Read the full story.

Nearby law enforcement agencies with full WILEAG accreditation include the Pleasant Prairie Police Department and the Milwaukee Police Department.

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