Westmont, Illinois
Date Issued: June 11, 2020
An assessment team from the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP) will be in Westmont on June 17th and June 18th to examine all aspects of the Westmont Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services. The Westmont Police Department has chosen to undergo this voluntary process to gain accreditation, which has been a top priority for Chief of Police, James Gunther.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel, elected officials, and members of the community are invited to call-in with their comments during a public information session on June 17th, between the hours of 9:30-10:30 a.m., at 630-981-6200 Ext. 5300. Telephone comments are limited to five minutes and must address the department’s ability to meet ILEAP standards. A copy of the standards have been made available on the Westmont Village Webpage, Westmont Police Department Facebook page and also posted at the Westmont Police Department lobby located at 500 N. Cass Avenue. The local contact is Accreditation Manager/Administrative Sergeant Craig Gomorczak.
Written comments discussing the Westmont Police Department’s ability to meet standards for accreditation should be emailed to chiefofpolice@westmont.il.gov or mailed to:
Westmont Police Department
Attention: ILEAP Accreditation Process
500 N. Cass Avenue
Westmont, Illinois 60559
Accreditation requires proof of meeting or exceeding 180 areas of ILEAP criteria or standards. These are policy guidelines that represent best practices for delivering high-quality service to the community. “A true measure of compliance with these standards is having peers review our practices in person. Acquiring accreditation is an important achievement for both the department and the community,” Chief Gunther explained. The assessment team is composed of public safety practitioners from other agencies in Illinois. The assessors will review written material, interview individuals, visit officers, and inspect other locations where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are:
Management Analyst Dean Myles, West Chicago Police Department Assistant Chief of Police Steven Weatherford, Illinois Commerce Commission
Once ILEAP Assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the ILEAP Committee Chairman of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. The files are reviewed and distributed to the council and acted on at the Council’s next scheduled meeting, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status. Accreditation lasts for four years. To maintain accreditation status, the Westmont Police Department must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards, under which it was initially accredited.
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