BUPD Seeks National Reaccreditation
CALEA: “The gold standard” in law enforcement
The BUPD is seeking reaccreditation by an agency that recognizes “the highest professional standards of the policing profession”. Photo by Cydney Scott
Having achieved “the gold standard of professionalism in law enforcement” three years ago, as its acting chief calls it, the Boston University Police Department is going for gold again, seeking a nationally respected reaccreditation.
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) will send assessors to campus for three days starting November 13 to study the BUPD’s operations and management. The process will measure the department against 482 standards “that demonstrate adherence to the highest professional standards of the policing profession,” says Scott Paré, BUPD acting chief.
A two-hour public forum for the community to comment on the accreditation will be held Monday, November 14, starting at 6 p.m., at the School of Law Auditorium, 765 Commonwealth Ave. Those who can’t attend the forum can phone in their comments that day between 10 a.m. and noon at 617-358-6732, or they can use the online feedback form here or through the feedback section of the BUPD’s MyPD smartphone app. Finally, written comments may be mailed to CALEA, 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030-2215.
Accreditation, which is for three years, follows a review of every aspect of a department’s operations, from its training to its crime analysis to its finances. Few university forces are accredited—the BUPD’s 2013 nod was its first accreditation. Among the noncampus agencies that have earned accreditation are the Virginia State Police and the California Highway Patrol.
The CALEA assessors will be Deputy Chief Michael Rein of Rutgers University and Captain Nicole Collins of Vanderbilt University. “They will report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited/recognition status,” says Peter DiDomenica, BUPD detective lieutenant.
Once accredited, the department must send CALEA a report each year “attesting to continued compliance” with the commission’s standards, he says.
Reaccreditation by CALEA would “assure the University administration and the community of a high quality of police services,” says Paré, affirming that officers’ training and duties are in accordance with proper procedures. “It helps our department continue to evaluate and improve our performance.”
CALEA is expected to make its decision by year’s end, Paré says.
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