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Accreditation Unit Web Site
Welcome to the University of Delaware
Department of Public Safety Accreditation Unit website.
Our agency has developed this website to keep our community
informed about our accreditation program. It is
important to a community that its police department adheres to
the highest of professional standards. Accreditation
through CALEA (Commission
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) assures
adherence to the highest standards of the law enforcement
profession. We hope you find this information beneficial
and educational. If you have any questions, please feel
free to call us at 302-831-6508. Also, our accreditation
unit may be contacted at our special email address, which is:
accreditation-udps@udel.edu
Quick Links:
About
Accreditation
Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven
way of helping institutions and organizations evaluate and
improve their overall professional conduct and performance.
Accreditation programs have a long history in this country,
going back over 200 years when New York created the State
Board of Regents to charter colleges and private academies.
The cornerstone of this strategy lies in creating a consensus
of published and circulated standards containing a clear statement
of professional objectives. Since the 1950's most professions
and disciplines have established accreditation programs.
In 1979, the Commission on Accreditation for
Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) was founded and the first
law enforcement agency was accredited in 1984. Since
then, there are CALEA credentialed law enforcement agencies in
the United States, Canada, Barbados, and Mexico. As of
the middle of 2007, seven Delaware agencies have been awarded
accreditation while three Delaware agencies are in the
self-assessment phase, with the University Police being among
the latter three agencies.
The
Accreditation Process
The accreditation process consists of
five basic stages. The phases are:
- Enrollment
- Self-Assessment
- On-Site Assessment
- Commission Review &
Decision
- Maintaining Compliance and
Reaccreditation
Our department began the process by enrolling
or signing a contract with CALEA in July of 2004. At
the time our agency size was assessed as having 76 full-time
employees and we were classified as a "C" size agency, with
only a "D" size agency being larger. This size placed
us in the same agency size as the New Castle County Police
and the Delaware State Police. What this really means
is that with increasing agency size, more of the 459 standards
become mandatory. In signing the contract, our self-assessment
period began with three years provided for completion.
During the self-assessment phase, our
agency is undergoing the following processes:
- Of the 459 standards for agency size
"C", comply with all mandatory standards and 80% of those
that are "other than mandatory".
- Develop written directives (policies
and procedures), plans, and systems to meet the above
applicable standards
- Develop a file system to show proof
of compliance for applicable standards
- Conduct a mock on-site assessment
(completed April 16-17, 2007)
- Host
an on-site assessment team (August 3-8, 2007) who will scrutinize
the department's entire operation, making sure it complies
with the CALEA standards. The public is invited to
participate in the public phase of this on-site assessment
by attending in a public hearing on August 7, 2007, by telephone
on August 6, 2007, or in writing to CALEA. Details for public involvement are
found in our public notice.
Chief James Flatley organized the the
Accreditation Unit, appointing Captain Stephen Bunting as
Accreditation Manager. Captain William Katorkas, head of
the Professional Standards Division is a member of the unit as
is Jennifer Westfall, our Accreditation Assistant.
During the self-assessment phase, our
staff created a new set of general orders, created plans and
systems, and established an elaborate proofs of compliance
filing system. We successfully completed our mock
assessment and are readying for the on-site assessment team
who will begin to arrive on August 3rd and complete their work
on August 8th.
When the assessment team leaves, they
will file a report with the commission who will review our
performance and award accreditation, provided we are found in
compliance by the assessment team. This review will take
place in Colorado Springs, CO at the meeting of the commission
scheduled for November 14-17, 2007.
Reaccreditation
Once accredited the real work begins as
our agency works toward reaccreditation, which takes place
every three years. During each reaccreditation period,
an agency must show it is continuing to comply with the
standards by showing updated and continuing proofs of
compliance. In addition, more standards are constantly
being added and others being modified. Further, an
agency is expected to comply with an ever increasing
percentage of the other than mandatory standards. Every
three years, an on-site assessment team will visit the agency
to inspect and verify that the agency continues to adhere to
the CALEA standards.
Our Commitment
“Operating a police department in
accordance with CALEA standards is a proven management model,”
said Chief James Flatley of the University of Delaware Police.
“Integrity, accountability, and high professional standards
are the hallmark of our department as well as the foundations
of the CALEA standards. When you embrace such standards, the
agency can operate efficiently and professionally. The
accreditation process demonstrates our commitment to these
standards."
The entire accreditation process demands
considerable resources and commitment from our agency.
As we believe in the high standards promulgated by CALEA, we
have committed our resources towards achieving those
standards. By adhering to those high standards, our
agency will function with the highest degree of integrity,
accountability, and professionalism. The community we
serve expects the best and we will constantly strive to meet
or exceed those expectations.
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