Faculty, staff, students and visitors of the University are invited to comment early next month on the activities and policies of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) as part of a national accreditation assessment.
A team of out-of-state assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA) will be on campus later this month to examine all aspects of DPS’s policies, procedures, management, operations and support services, says DPS Executive Director Ken Magee. In order for DPS to achieve the voluntary accreditation status, the assessment team will verify that the department meets the commission’s professional standards by reviewing written materials, conducting interviews with department staff and University members, and visiting offices and other campus locations.
As part of the on-site assessment, members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 7 p.m. Feb. 2. The session will be conducted in the Kipke Conference Center within the Campus Safety Services Building at 1239 Kipke Drive, just east of Crisler Arena.
“In order to achieve accreditation, our department must show it complies with more than 400 standards,” Magee says. “Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. Once we become accredited, we must submit annual reports for three years to show continued compliance with those standards.”
People who are unable to attend the public information session may provide comments by telephone or in writing. To comment by phone, call (734) 615-8886 between 1-3 p.m. Feb. 2. Written comments should be mailed to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2215.
Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the DPS main office at 1239 Kipke Drive in Ann Arbor.
The team of assessors includes retired Chief Robin Geis of Franklin University (Ohio), retired Captain Philip Patrone of Roanoke (Va.) County Police Department and Sgt. Curtis Winn of the Prairie Village (Kan.) Police Department.
Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of DPS they will report to the full commission, which then will decide if accreditation will be granted. Accreditation is for three years.
For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., go to www.calea.org, write the commission or call (800) 368-3757 or (703) 352-4225.
