Congressman Josh Harder (District 10) presented Stanislaus State’s University Police Department with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition, after it recently joined a prestigious group of university and college public safety agencies in earning accreditation from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.
“As police departments across the nation begin to reevaluate how they function within their community, many of them are looking toward accreditations, like IACLEA, as the future of accountability,” said Stanislaus State’s Chief of Police Clint Strode. “The work that that has been done at UPD places Stanislaus State at the forefront of policing across the United States. So much so, that U.S. Congressman Josh Harder has issued this certificate in recognition of this accomplishment.”
Fewer than two percent of colleges and universities receive such accreditation and Stan State joins Fresno, Northridge and San Francisco in the CSU system with the designation.
Earning the designation for excellence in campus public safety, accredited agencies show greater accountability and competency and demonstrate best practices in operations, training, administration and human resources. They comply with stringent professional standards as validated by campus public safety peers while retaining policies and programs that are unique to the needs of their campus community.
The voluntary process for earning accreditation involves submitting an application, undergoing an in-depth self-evaluation, an on-campus visit from IACLEA representatives and a review of all information gathered by an assessment committee.
“It’s actually very difficult to get and maintain this accreditation,” said Strode. “It took a lot of work over the course of about two years to reach the point of our assessment. The assessors visited from out of state and conducted a very exhaustive, deep dive into every aspect of how our police department works.”
Accreditation is awarded for a four-year period. Accredited agencies must submit annual reports that demonstrate they maintain the standards necessary for their elite status.
