Campus Police received its reaccreditation this week, showing the policies and enforcement employed by Campus Police is approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
According to Director of Campus Police Chief Tom Younce, accreditation sets proper procedures for law enforcement agencies to follow when incidents occur.
“Accreditation is a valuable tool for managing any law enforcement agency,” he said.
The CALEA is a nationally recognized body that demonstrates a national standard for all law enforcement agency. Not all law enforcement agencies are expected to go through the accreditation process, but it does show agencies are taking an extra step to better their procedures, Younce said.
The Campus Police were first accredited by CALEA in 2004, they were reaccredited in 2007 and Younce said they hope to be reaccredited in 2010.
The University is also accredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Agency. IACLEA is an accreditation agency designed specifically for university law enforcement. CALEA sends teams of professionals from out of state police agencies to evaluate the universities’ procedures.
“The University is confident that they will be reaccredited,” said Younce.
The process is similar to getting a university or college accredited. According to Younce, the University has one of the few law enforcement agencies accredited from both CALEA and IACLEA. “Only about 10 percent of all law enforcement agencies take advantage of learning national procedures,” Younce said.
Younce said Campus Police have taken the extra steps of accreditation to better their law enforcement procedures and serve the community as best they can. “Being accredited shows that the campus police are practicing the top law enforcement policies that are recognized throughout the United States,” Younce said.
CALEA advises law enforcement agencies and also demonstrates policies to better serve the community. “[Accreditation] demonstrates to the community that we are practicing national law enforcement standards,” Younce said.
According to CALEA’s Web site, the program does cost money. The University has 54 sworn police officers and the program costs $4,030. The program does, however, save money because it reduces the chance of the University being sued over policy that may include using force. Accreditation attempts to minimize any procedural problem with law enforcement, Younce said.
Students like Rachel Thompson, junior in biological sciences, said having an accredited police force is a valuable tool for the University to have. “I feel safer having an accredited police force on campus. They are able to do what any other police department can, but fit a university community,” Thompson said.
Acccording to Thompson, Campus Police offer a safer environment for the University’s students and faculty.
“I feel much safer being on our campus than I do when I visit friends on other campuses,” Thompson said.
Some students like Justin Stiller, a junior in sport management, said the Campus Police allow students to feel more comfortable in their daily activities.
“I just feel safer knowing that we have an actual police department dedicated to protecting our campus,” Stiller said.
