<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#467886;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<div align="center">
<table class="MsoTableGrid" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="732" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:none">
<tbody>
<tr style="height:81.0pt">
<td width="348" style="width:261.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:81.0pt">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><img width="325" height="73" style="width:3.3854in;height:.7604in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01DABB3A.1FC9B120" alt="Title: City of Durham Communications Department"><span style="font-size:1.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td width="384" valign="top" style="width:4.0in;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:81.0pt">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="color:#00467E">News Media Contact<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="color:#00467E"><a href="mailto:CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov">CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov</a></span><span style="font-size:5.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height:3.4pt">
<td width="732" colspan="2" valign="top" style="width:549.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:3.4pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:25.4pt;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;text-align:center;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<span style="font-size:50.0pt;color:#00467F">News Release</span><span style="color:#00467F;text-transform:uppercase">
</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#EF3D42">For Immediate Release: June 10, 2024</span><span style="color:#D3372A"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center;line-height:normal">
<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Public Comments Invited as Durham 911 Center Seeks Fifth CALEA® Accreditation</span></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">DURHAM, N.C. – Durham residents can share their thoughts about Durham’s Emergency Communications (911) Center in a
<a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/5034/Accreditation-Public-Comment-Portal">public comment portal</a> as the agency seeks to attain its fifth accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®). The portal, found on
the agency’s webpage, opens for comments on June 14, 2024.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">Since 2009, the Durham Emergency Communications Center has been a CALEA® accredited public safety communications program, which means the Center has complied with more than 207 strict quality
and business standards. Participation, which is voluntary, in this process every four years means that the Center has an industry-approved process to systemically review and internally assess its operations and procedures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">According to Director Randy Beeman, being accredited by CALEA®, a voluntary process, assures the public that the 911 Center meets CALEA’s state-of-the-art standards, a highly prized recognition
of public safety professional excellence. “The accreditation is a testament to the hard work, training, dedication, and professionalism of the people who work in our Center supporting all of our public safety agencies in Durham,” Beeman said. “It is a fantastic
achievement to have our highly skilled and trained staff receive this distinguished honor. Our goal is to keep our accredited status which shows our commitment to the excellent delivery of public safety call-taking and dispatch services.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">The CALEA® accreditation process requires the Center to collect and analyze data to make sound operational and administrative business decisions, create leadership, and practitioner-accountability.
In addition, the focus is on quality assurance, interoperability, emerging technologies, risk analysis, asset security, resources access, contemporary training, and a range of other operational functions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">Public comments placed in the portal must address the Center’s ability to comply with
<a href="https://www.calea.org/standards-titles">CALEA Communications Standards</a>. Residents may also mail written comments to CALEA, 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">For more information about Durham’s re-accreditation process, contact Durham Emergency Communications Center Accreditation & Quality Improvement Administrator Alicia Hawkins by phone at (919)
237-4167 or by <a href="mailto:alicia.hawkins@durhamnc.gov">email</a>. For more information about CALEA, visit their
<a href="https://www.calea.org/communications">website</a>, call (703) 352-4225, or send an
<a href="mailto:calea@calea.org">email</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center;line-height:normal">
###<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>