A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®) will visit Drexel University from Oct. 26 through Oct. 29 to evaluate all aspects of the Drexel University Police Department’s (DUPD) policies and procedures, management, operations and support services, Vice President for the University’s Department of Public Safety Domenic Ceccanecchio announced.
According to Ceccanecchio, verification by the team that the Drexel University Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to retain CALEA accreditation—a highly valued recognition of public safety professional excellence. DUPD was first awarded CALEA law enforcement accreditation in November 2011.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the Drexel and surrounding community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The session will be held in MacAlister Hall, 6th floor Skyview Room, located at the corner of 33rd and Chestnut Streets.
Those who would like to participate in the public discussion but are unavailable to attend can call 215.571.3596 on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 1 to 3 p.m. 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 standards. A copy of the standards is available at Drexel’s Department of Public Safety located at 3201 Arch Street, room 350. Chief Eileen Behr of the Drexel Police can be reached at 215.571.3548, and Jane Kelly, the accreditation manager, and can be reached at 215.895.6345.
Written comments about the Drexel University Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are also encouraged and can be mailed to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155.
Drexel’s Police Department must comply with 481 standards in order to gain accredited status. Re-accreditation will place the DUPD among a select few professional law enforcement agencies recognized by CALEA and peer institutions, according to Ceccanecchio.
The CALEA program manager for Drexel is Mark Mosier. The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are: Dean Tondiglia, assistant chief of the Kent State University Police Department (team leader), and Colonel Mark Porter, chief of police and director of Public Safety at Brown University.
Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to maintain accredited status, according to Mosier.
Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., contact the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA, 20155; call 800.368.3757 or 703.352.4225; or email www@calea.org.
For more information on Drexel’s accreditation process, contact Jane Kelly, accreditation manager, Drexel University Department of Public Safety, at 215.895.6345 or jbk53@drexel.edu.