Members of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. came Saturday to reaccredit the University Campus Police for the first time.
“We were initially accredited in December 2003,” Tim Johnson, accreditation manager for Campus Police, said.
According to Jon Barnwell of Campus Police, every three years, members from CALEA come back to reaccredit a department and make sure it maintains its standards.
“All reaccreditations are important, but particularly the first reaccreditation because it proves for the first time that we can continue to maintain the original certificate,” Barnwell said.
According to Josh Dalton, a sophomore in First Year College, this is the best year yet for Campus Police.
“They are doing an awesome job,” he said. “I haven’t even gotten mugged yet this year.”
According to Barnwell, the accreditation of Campus Police can be compared with NCSU’s accreditation as a university.
“We both have to meet a certain level of standards,” Barnwell said.
CALEA is a national organization established in 1979. According to Johnson, it established about 1,400 standards for law enforcement agencies. According to Johnson, there are 446 actual standards with which Campus Police has to comply.
“Three assessors from across the country look at operation to see if you’re in compliance with the standards, since the standards have gone through four revisions,” Johnson said. “We are currently under the fourth edition.”
Johnson said the members sent from CALEA will be working closely with Campus Police, observing the system the force has in place as well as how Campus Police works with other agencies.
CALEA will also be reviewing files in the police department, and there will be a call in session today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for members of the community to speak out.
There will also be a public information session tonight at 7 p.m. in the Blue Room of Talley Student Center. Members of the community are encouraged to attend this session to voice their opinions on the department.
“The public hearing is for the community to talk to the police department about crime prevention or whatever applies to themselves,” Johnson said.
