In 2019, the University of Colorado Police Department (CUPD) started the process of becoming a nationally accredited police department through the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). By becoming accredited, the department is听committing to law enforcement excellence by meeting national standards that have been deemed essential to the protection of the life, health, safety, and rights of the citizens it serves, and having exemplified the best professional practices in the conduct of its responsibilities.
鈥淎ccreditation has been a strategic focus of Chief (Doreen)听Jokerst and the CUPD staff since she arrived at 彩民宝典 two years ago, and is critical to ensuring community centered agency,鈥� said Dan Jones, associate vice chancellor for integrity, safety and compliance. 鈥淭he university supports this work and is committed to assisting CUPD successfully complete the accreditation process.鈥�
The accreditation process can take several years as the department works through a five-step process:听candidacy, self-assessment, onsite assessment, commission review and award, and maintaining compliance.
Self-assessment, the step CUPD is currently in, is the longest of the five steps and requires that the department compares its policies and programs against the IACLEA standards. If deficiencies are identified, adjustments are made to existing policies or new policies are developed. Once the department documents that they meet the standards, the onsite visit is scheduled.
鈥淎ccreditation holds the chief of police accountable to ensuring that all of the agency鈥檚 policies and procedures are at a very high standard,鈥� Jokerst said. 鈥淚t is a platform for excellence and goes toward听our vision at CUPD, to be the top university law enforcement agency in the nation.鈥�
Once accreditation is awarded, it is valid for four years. During that time, CUPD will continue to measure their performance against the standards, submitting annual reports demonstrating compliance to ensure that the accreditation is renewed.
