BUPD Up for Recertification

A team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) is scheduled to be on campus Wednesday, June 21, through Friday, June 23, to conduct the recertification of the Boston University Police Department (BUPD) as an MPAC-accredited department. The commission is expected to make a final reaccreditation determination by fall.

MPAC is an 11-member board of law enforcement officials with demonstrated expertise in law enforcement and public safety initiatives appointed by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Massachusetts Police Association, and the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

According to MPAC, its mission is “to ensure that the delivery of police services within the Commonwealth is at the highest level of professionalism and integrity.” Accreditation has “two major components: (1) the establishment of a body of professional standards for police agencies to meet, and (2) a voluntary assessment process by which agencies can be publicly recognized for meeting those standards considered best practices for the profession.” The program consists of 257 mandatory standards and 125 optional standards. To maintain accreditation status, a department must meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 60 percent of the optional standards (75 of 125). The BUPD was initially accredited by MPAC in May 2011 and is one of only 16 college or university police departments so accredited.

Part of the voluntary process to acquire state accreditation is verification by the assessment team that a police department meets the commission’s standards. It consists of a self-initiated evaluation process, which police departments strive to meet and maintain using standards carefully selected to reflect critical areas of police management, operations, and technical support activities that have been established for the profession. These standards cover areas such as policy development, emergency response planning, training, communications, property and evidence handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit, prisoner transportation, and holding facilities.

“As the new chief of police for Boston University, I was highly pleased to learn that our department has been accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission since 2011,” says Kelly Nee, BUPD chief since May 1. “Accreditation is an ongoing process that continually serves to ensure that our department follows best practices in the delivery of public safety services to the community.”

Achieving—and maintaining—accreditation is a recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. Anyone interested in learning more about the program is invited to contact Nee at 617-353-2127.

http://www.bu.edu/today/2017/bupd-recertification/