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Published: 12/13/07
Association Offers Accreditation for Campus Police Forces
From "Law-Enforcement Group Offers Accreditation for Colleges' Police and Public Safety Departments" by: Sara Lipka, Chronicle of Higher Education
The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) is encouraging colleges to combine the issues of accreditation and public safety by offering accreditation for colleges' police and public safety departments. The voluntary program, which began offering accreditations this year under a set of strict standards, could enable institutions to improve their defense against lawsuits and reduce insurance costs. Although there already exists a more generalized certification program that can be used by campus police forces from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), that program covers only police forces whose officers have been sworn under oath with a state-granted authority to arrest. More than 25 percent of campus agencies have no sworn officers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, including most smaller institutions.

IACLEA standards were modified from the CALEA standards, leaving out those that were not applicable to campus settings. Six college police departments have already been accredited through a fast-track program for departments that already hold the CALEA certification. Another 22 have begun the accreditation process, which can take up to three years. "College police departments are becoming more aware of the fact that we need to do something to keep up with the latest technologies and operating procedures, and this is another big step in that direction," says James D. Chapman, chief of police at Arkansas State University.

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