KEENE — The police department says it is expecting to move closer to national accreditation standards in an assessment next month.

The accreditation is a “highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,” police officials said Monday.

A team from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. will conduct an on-site assessment from Oct. 7 to Oct. 9, examining the department's policies and procedures, management, operations and support services, Chief Kenneth Meola said Monday.

“This is a voluntary process, and we just see great value in having policies and procedures that are best practices nationwide and in some cases worldwide in professional and proficiency standards,” Meola said.

Police Capt. Steven Russo, who has been managing the department's accreditation efforts since 2007, said it is an intense, time-consuming process.

It is not just a matter of having a policy in place that meets the commission's standards, but of documenting and proving that that policy is followed, he said.

“It's not an easy process to get started on. … It takes up time that we'd rather be doing something else,” Russo said, adding, “It's just the right thing to do. It makes you follow nationally accepted standards.”

While larger departments like Nashua and Manchester have been accredited for many years, Keene could not attempt it until it moved out of its former City Hall office into its new facility on Marlboro Street about eight years ago, Russo said.

“There were a slew of (standards) we couldn't meet at the old facility,” Russo said.

In 2009, the department met the first proficiency level of recognition with the commission, meeting 112 standards, Meola said.

“The recognition part of the assessment was a stepping stone to the full accreditation process, which we are striving towards now,” Meola said.

This first level of accreditation requires the department to meet 177 standards.

A higher level of accreditation requires more than 400 standards be met.

The department is to be assessed every three years to retain accreditation, Russo said.

Part of the assessment process is the collection of public comments. Comments can be left by phone at 757-0620 between 1 and 3 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency's ability to comply with the commission's standards.

Copies of the standards are available for review at the police department and at the Keene Public Library.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community can offer comments at a public information session at 5 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Keene Public Library auditorium, 60 Winter St.

Public input at the hearing is limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency's ability to comply with the commission's standards.

People wishing to offer written comments can send them to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Va., 20155.

Comments also may be submitted online at: www.calea.org/online/comments/feedback.htm.

mpierce@newstote.com