Update: This story has been updated to include a followup interview with Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer. 

By Kim McDarison 

The Whitewater Police Department is undergoing a process to achieve and maintain accreditation through the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG), according to information released Monday by the department.

According to the WILEAG’s website, the organization is a membership-based trade association that provides “guidance, forms and templates while serving as a liaison to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group Governing Board.”

Answering questions by email, Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer said the association is composed of a “board of professionals with insight into current best practices in the law enforcement profession.” He further described the organization as a “credentialing authority,” and not a state agency. 

The police department will undergo the assessment process between Tuesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 20, the release noted.

The assessment team will look at all aspects of the department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, the release continued.

Verification by the WILEAG team is required in order for the department to meet the board’s state-of-the-art standards as part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation, the release read. 

As part of the process, the public is invited to provide comments to the assessment team through use of the following telephone number: 262-473-0109, on Wednesday, June 18, between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes, according to the release.

In his followup email, Meyer noted that the telephone number provided rings through to a conference room at the Whitewater Police Department. On the aforementioned date, members of the WILEAG assessment team, composed of three law enforcement professionals trained in assessing agencies based on the WILEAG standards, will be working from the room as part of the assessment. 

Calls to the number during the timeframe will ring directly to the assessment team, which is independent of the police department staff, he wrote. 

“Ideally, the comments for the assessors should relate to the WILEAG standards and whether our department is meeting them,” he added. 

Further, he wrote, the WILEAG works with the Wisconsin Police Accreditation Coalition, an organization in which Meyer has previously served as vice president. 

Within his email, Meyer stated that the group is “designed to be an organization that assists law enforcement agencies (as they) attain accreditation through WILEAG.” 

As of 2024, he wrote, “I decided not to continue in that role so that I could give my full attention to the challenges we are working through here (at the Whitewater Police Department). 

“Accreditation evaluates whether our agency is following defined industry standards and best practices. This rigorous process helps us ensure we are providing the highest level of service for our community” Meyer was quoted as saying in Monday’s news release.

Those seeking to make a comment using the aforementioned telephone option “must address the agency’s ability to comply with WILEAG’s standards,” according to the release.

WILEAG accreditation standards are found by visiting the WILEAG website: http://www.wileag.info/full-accreditation.html.

Additionally, the release noted, Individuals can offer written comments about the Whitewater Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation and send them to: Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, at WILEAG, 7525 W. Greenfield Ave. West Allis, WI 53214.

Meyer, within Monday’s news release, wrote: “The Whitewater Police Department must comply with hundreds of standards in order to gain accredited status. The achievement and subsequent maintenance of accredited status have been cornerstone accomplishments for our department. The work required of our staff to maintain accredited status has helped us nurture a culture of professionalism over a number of years here.”

The Whitewater Police Department’s Accreditation Manager Capt. Adam Vander Steeg, within the release, stated: “The assessment team is composed of three law enforcement practitioners from other agencies within the state. The assessors will review department documents, interview employees, and view offices and the places where compliance can be observed.

“After completion of the assessment team’s review of the agency,” he continued, “the assessment team leader reports back to the WILEAG board so a determination can be made as to whether the agency will 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 release read. 

Within his email to WhitewaterWise, Meyer wrote: “The accreditation process is challenging and time intensive, but it helps us ensure that our policies and practices are current with legal updates and ensures we are doing our jobs as professionally as possible. The standards we have to meet really hit all facets of our operations here.” 

The chief noted that “about 10%” of agencies in Wisconsin are accredited. 

“We are proud of the fact that WPD has been accredited for over 20 years now,” he wrote. 

For more information about the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, email executive.director@wileag.info or write to: WILEAG, 7525 W. Greenfield Ave. West Allis, WI 53214.

A copy of the standards is available at the Whitewater Police Department and may be obtained by contacting Vander Steeg by phone: 262-473-1372.