BROOKINGS – The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators will have a team of assessors examine all aspects of the South Dakota State University Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operation and support services starting May 21, Chief Tim Heaton announced today.
Verification by the team that the SDSU Police Department meets IACLEA’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of campus public safety professional excellence, according to Heaton.
University members, agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling 688-6272 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. May 22. The IACLEA’s assessment team will take the comments. Telephone comments must address the department’s ability to comply with IACLEA’s standards. The IACLEA Accreditation Standards Manual is available on the IACLEA website (www.iaclea.org).
Comments about the SDSU police department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may be sent to:
IACLEA Accreditation
342 North Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06117-2507.
The SDSU Police Department has to comply with 216 standards, in order to achieve accreditation.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to become the first accredited university police department in the Midwestern region and reaffirm to the campus community that we are fully committed to providing the highest levels of public safety,” Heaton said.
The accreditation manager for the SDSU Police Department is Deputy Chief Michael Kilber, who said the assessment team is composed of experienced campus law enforcement professionals. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and inspect facilities where compliance can be witnessed.
The assessors are: Margaret Gant, accreditation manager/Clery compliance coordinator, University of North Texas Police Department, team leader; Chief Patrick Wasley (Ret.), California State University-San Francisco Police Department; and Lt. Tamara McCollough, Indiana State University Police Department. Once the assessors complete their review of the department, they will report to IACLEA, which will then decide if SDSU is to be granted accredited status.
Accreditation is for four years, during which the department must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.
