Topic: Administrative
April 12, 2011
The Ball State University Police Department was one of seven campus police departments in the country to receive full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). This is the second time the police department has been awarded full accreditation; the first accreditation was awarded in 2007.
"Accreditation from CALEA is not easy to achieve, as it truly is a department-wide effort," said Gene Burton, chief of police. "A department makes a commitment to adhere to more than 470 standards on a wide variety of law enforcement topics. Achieving accreditation demonstrates a department's desire to follow best practices and commitment to serve its community."
These best practices include greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, staunch support from government officials and increased community advocacy.
After 36 months of self-assessment and complying with almost 500 standards on best practices in law enforcement, Ball State is one of two universities in Indiana with an accredited police department. Purdue University became accredited in 2009, two years after Ball State's first full accreditation.
CALEA presented the accreditation award to Burton, Asst. Chief Robert Fey, Cpl. Mike Baker Sr. and Officer Renita de la Garza at the CALEA Conference on March 26 in Bethesda, Md.
By Samantha Irons