The Ohio State University Police Division (OSU Police) is seeking to renew its accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®), Acting Chief of Police Craig Stone announced today. OSU Police first gained CALEA law enforcement accreditation in 2013 and is currently one of 73 university agencies in the country to officially meet CALEA’s best practices of law enforcement standards.
The voluntary process to gain accreditation, which is a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence, includes verification by the assessors that OSU Police meets the commission’s state-of-the-art standards. As such, a team of assessors from CALEA will arrive March 29, 2016 to examine all aspects of OSU Police policy and procedures, management, operations and support services.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the university community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Wednesday, March 30 at 5 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Ohio Union, Multicultural Center, located at 1739 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210. If, for some reason, an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, he or she may do so by telephone. Please call 614-688-4560 on Wednesday, March 30 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Telephone comments and 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 by emailing Officer Adam Tabor (tabor.4@osu.edu) or in person at Blankenship Hall (address above). Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the OSU Police Division’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them to CALEA at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155 or www.calea.org.
Applying agencies must comply with 188 standards in order to gain accredited status. “The safety of our campus community is our number one priority,” said Acting Chief Stone. “Our agency is proud to carry CALEA accreditation and believes this process will reaffirm our commitment to increase public trust and at the same time assure Ohio State that OSU Police will uphold nationally recognized standards.”
The assessment team is comprised of public safety 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 2016 assessors are:
- Mr. David Hobson; Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice (retired)
- Captain Kenneth Rogers; Mississippi State University Police Department
“Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if OSU Police will again be granted accredited status,” said OSU Police Officer Adam Tabor, OSU Police’s accreditation manager.
CALEA accreditation lasts for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports and other documents demonstrating continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
For information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write the commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155; or call 800-368-3757 or 703-352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.