A team from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators has filed a recommendation in support of the Syracuse University Department of Public Safety’s bid for accreditation.

A team of assessors for the IACLEA came to campus two weeks ago to assess DPS’s policies, procedures, management, operations and support services and returned to its headquarters where it then filed the recommendation. DPS should receive official word from IACLEA regarding its accreditation status by the end of the spring semester.

“Saying that we’re accredited when it comes to recruiting and also when it comes to examining what we do in comparison with other universities, it helps us solidify that we’re doing things to a standard that is recommended by this governing body,” said DPS Public Information Officer Hannah Warren.

Warren said DPS had to put together proof that it was following the established standards. She said there was “a lot of paper and a lot of leg work to prove that we were up to this bar.”

The accreditation will allow DPS to say that it has measured its policies up to “what this organization calls the best.” She added that it means the support services available to victims and witnesses of crimes are publicized and made available.

Accreditation is granted for a four-year period, and DPS must submit annual reports attesting to its compliance with the standards under which it was initially accredited, according to an SU news release.

“Achieving accreditation provides a professional benchmark with which to measure policies and procedures,” said DPS Interim Chief Jill Lentz in the release. “It also ensures those practices are well-documented, department personnel receive clear guidance and qualified personnel are recruited and retained long term.”

If the department achieves official certification, it will be one of only 42 campus public safety departments in the United States to successfully do so.

Published on February 11, 2015 at 12:01 am

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