For the first time, Ball State University's Department of PublicSafety is seeking accreditation by one of the country's top lawenforcement commissions as part of its effort to improve servicesto the university.
The department has begun a program to achieve nationalaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for LawEnforcement Agencies, based in Fairfax, Va. The commission hasaccredited 600 police agencies, including 47 campus law enforcementdepartments based primarily in the United States.
"It's a very thorough, long and complex process," Gene Burton,director of public safety, said. "It says these departments have acommitment to providing the best services possible."
Burton said the accreditation process came from a review of BallState's department conducted by private consultants in 2002. Theconsultants included police chiefs from other colleges anduniversities who reviewed the department as part of a comprehensiveprogram. Burton said the reviewers looked at departmental strengthsand weaknesses and provided a list of recommendations forimprovement.
The primary purpose of CALEA's accreditation program is to alsoimprove law enforcement services by offering certain standards,which are developed by law enforcement practitioners and cover avariety of law enforcement topics.
Bob Fey, associate director of public safety, said the standardsare divided into a series of chapters that address issues includingthe department's organizational structure, jurisdiction and mutualaid agreements, allocation and distribution of personnel andofficer recruitment and training.
He said another key topic is crime prevention, which encouragesthe department to evaluate what types of crimes present thegreatest problems for the community and what kind of crimeprevention activities could be structured to respond to suchconcerns. Another important topic is community relations, whichencourages law enforcement agencies to establish contacts with thecommunities they serve and to recommend a well-organized processfor eliciting input from the community, he said.
Fey said the accreditation process has six primary goals,including strengthening crime prevention and control capabilities,formalizing essential management procedures, establishing fair andnondiscriminatory personnel practices, improving service delivery,solidifying interagency cooperation and coordination and boostingcitizen and staff confidence in the department.
Ball State police must comply with more than 400 standardsestablished by the commission to receive accreditation, Burtonsaid. If the university does receive accreditation, it would be theonly campus police agency in Indiana to hold such a status, hesaid.
According to its Web site, CALEA was established as anindependent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major lawenforcement membership associations: International Association ofChiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law EnforcementExecutives, National Sheriffs' Association and Police ExecutiveResearch Forum.
Fey said Burton has appointed him as the accreditation manager,giving him a variety of responsibilities throughout theaccreditation process, including reviewing standards in thedepartment.
The commission's accreditation process, generally conducted over36 months, includes application, self-assessment, on-siteassessment and commission review. For a department to maintain itsstatus after being accredited, it must submit annual reports to thecommission attesting to its compliance.
Fey said ideally Ball State's police department hopes toaccomplish accreditation within two years.
"We certainly feel it is a worthy goal, and we will need thecommunity's support and participation in the process," Fey said."When accredited, we're hopeful that both our department and thecommunity will take pride in that achievement."
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