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The Leander Police Department is committed to having a professional police force. As part of our commitment to that goal, the department was “Recognized” by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®) in 2003. The department took the next step in that commitment and became "Accredited" in 2009. "Accreditation" includes 463 standards instead of the 100 standards in the "Recognition" process.
CALEA was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations: International Associations of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Police Executive Research Forum. The CALEA accreditation process is a proven modern management model that provides an opportunity for the department to show that it voluntarily meets an established set of professional standards. The department is currently in the final steps of achieving Accreditation. See the CALEA web site for additional information: http://www.calea.org/.
Complaint Process
It is the policy of this department that all complaints against employees or the department, received from any source will be documented and investigated. It is the intent of this policy to:
- protect the employee, the community, and the department;
- identify and correct inappropriate behavior;
- identify and remedy procedural problems;
- enhance the profession of law enforcement
It shall be the policy of this department to comply with the Legislative amendments to Chapter 2, Code of Criminal Procedure; Articles 2.131 through 2.136, relating to what has been referred to as the “Racial Profiling Law”. Racial Profiling means a law enforcement-initiated action based on an individual’s race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than on the individual’s behavior or on information identifying the individual as having engaged in criminal activity. “Racial Profiling,” as defined herein, is prohibited by Peace Officers of this department.
It is the policy of this department that incidents which involve a difference of opinion between a Police Officer and a citizen, solely over the guilt or innocence of an offense, shall not be investigated officially. Complainants in such cases shall be advised to pursue adjudication through the court system. No documentation will be required in these specific instances.
Complaints may be submitted on the form provided by the Leander Police Department or in the form of a signed letter. The forms are available at the front desk of the Police Department as well as in the “File Section” at the bottom of this page. Unsigned or anonymous complaints shall be initially reviewed as an administrative inquiry.
Annual Complaint Statistics
An annual complaint statistics report is available in the “File Section” at the bottom of this page.
Terrorism Information
Report all suspicious activity that may be related to terrorism within the city limits to the Leander Police Department, 528-2800 for non-emergencies or 9-1-1 for emergencies. The current threat level is listed on the side of this page. Information is available directly from Homeland Security on their web site: http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm, select “Threat Level System.” You may also go directly to the FBI’s web site to submit a tip: http://www.fbi.gov/, select “Submit a Tip.”
Dictionary.com defines terrorism as:
n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
For an act to be considered terrorism, it must be a crime! It is NOT a crime to: say something radical or inflammatory against our country; or have a strong set of beliefs that are outside mainstream ideology. Americans are guaranteed the right of free speech.
Crimes include: Homicides, threats, harassment, vandalism, and arson.
Terrorist acts may be very low key. These are low-risk, low-cost acts. But they disrupt our lives and threaten our neighborhoods. And often these progress to more serious crimes. Not every act like this will be an indication of extremist or terrorist activity. Who or what was targeted may be the best indicator within our communities and may include:
- Vandalism (often depending on the target)
- Graffiti (again, depending on the target and symbolism)
- Threats against organizations or groups of people
- Harassment of particular groups of people
Terrorists have also discovered ways to use computers to further their causes. They may use them:
- Communications & Recruiting
- Instant and anonymous email communications.
- Websites displaying philosophies.
- Shared electronic resources.
- Information Gathering
- Hacking into private areas.
- Stealing confidential information.
- Fraud
- Stealing online to fund worldwide terrorist operations.
- Creation of false identities for operators.
- Disruption of Telecommunications, Utilities, Transportation
- Computer viruses.
- Email bombs (high volume traffic that causes a site to crash).
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