PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Chief Daniel Layber, 210 Progress Dr. Cottage Grove, WI 53527, 608-839-4652.
ACCREDITATION ASSESSMENT TEAM INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT
Cottage Grove/Dane County, WI, 3/2/21- A team of assessors from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG), will arrive on March 16, 2021 to examine all aspects of the Cottage Grove Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operation, and support service, Chief Daniel Layber announced today.
Verification by the team that the Cottage Grove Police Department meets the Board’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation - a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, he said.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public access telephone session March 17, 2021 from 1:00 P.M.- 3:00 P.M. The public may call 608-219-8755 on March 17.
Telephone comments 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 at the Cottage Grove Police Department. The Department contact for further information is Lt. Matthew Wagner at 608-839-4652.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Cottage Grove Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write to Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, WILEAG at WILEAG at P.O. Box 528, Hartland, WI 53029.
The Cottage Grove Police Department must comply with standards in order to gain accredited status, Chief Layber said. “Accreditation is important for our police department and the community so that we know that we are in compliance with the best practices of professional law enforcement agencies in the state of Wisconsin. The community will also have the knowledge and confidence in our department that we will provide the best services to them possible and that we strive to maintain professional standards in all we do.
The Accreditation Manager for the Cottage Grove Police Department is Lt. Matthew Wagner, He said the assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies. The assessors will review written material, interview individuals, and visit offices and the places where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are Cpt. Colette Jaeger (Grand Chute PD), Team Leader; Lt. Cord Buckner (Wausau PD), and Sgt. Andrew Foesch (Reedsburg PD).
Once the WILEAG Board’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full Board, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status, Lt. Matthew Wagner stated.
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.
For more information regarding the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, please write to WILEAG at P.O. Box 528, Hartland, WI 53029 or executive.director@wileag.info