National certification would helpNational certification would helpthe department measure itselfNational certification would helpthe department measure itselfagainst objective standards. University Police joined an elite group of 11 other campus police departments this summer as part of a national accreditation program. The program will help bring the department's policies and procedures in line with national standards set by four law enforcement organizations. Sgt. Michael Fink, who is managing the UPPD effort, said only 18 percent of all police departments in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the accreditation program. Brown and Georgetown universities and a handful of colleges in the South and Midwest are also working toward accreditation, Fink said. Among Pennsylvania departments, the Pennsylvania State Police is the largest accredited force in North America, Fink said. "[Accreditation] will allow us to benchmark ourselves against other departments and stay abreast of recent law enforcement innovations," said Chief of Police Administration George Clisby. Clisby, who is responsible for the program, said accreditation will also boost morale within the department and improve the quality of its services. University Police began a self-assessment this fall that will take three to five years to complete, Fink said. The department must demonstrate compliance with many of the 436 standards concerning safety, management, training and legal issues. The organization that grants accreditation is still deciding how many of the standards University Police will have to meet, based on the department's size and mission. Departments must also comply with 78 of the program's 98 optional standards. University Police are now focusing on its direction, management and policy, Fink said. Clisby said a restructuring of command last February and the hiring of four new University Police investigators over the summer were the department's first steps in complying with the standards. At that point, Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon promoted Maureen Rush to chief of police operations and reassigned Clisby to a newly created chief of police administration post. When University Police believe they have documented compliance with all the relevant standards, the accreditation commission will send a team to conduct a four day, on-site review of the department. Members of other law enforcement agencies of similar size will make up the team. They will review the department's files documenting compliance and interview department members. The group will hold an open meeting and set up a phone line to answer questions and listen to comments about University Police, Fink said. At the end of its on-site assessment, the group will meet with Seamon and outline any areas that need improvement before the commission will grant accreditation. University Police will then have three months to fix the problems before Seamon goes before a formal accreditation hearing. Seamon will answer questions from a 21-member commission of 11 law enforcement executives and 10 experts appointed by their organizations, Fink said. After gaining accreditation, the University would have to apply for recertification every three years.
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