Nov. 23, 2022
UAPD receives reaccreditation from national campus law enforcement organization
The University of Arizona Police Department has been reaccredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, a recognition that the department adheres to the highest standards and practices in campus public safety.
The association, known as IACLEA, notified UAPD of its reaccreditation on Nov. 17. IACLEA is an organization dedicated to promoting excellence in campus public safety and law enforcement. UAPD will be recognized during the association's annual conference in Orlando, Florida, in June.
This is UAPD's third time receiving the accreditation, which fewer than 100 agencies have earned. UAPD is also accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA, which accredits U.S. law enforcement agencies at all levels, not just on college campuses.
"Achieving reaccreditation through IACLEA is a true honor," said University of Arizona Police Chief Paula Balafas. "Accreditation is a department-wide effort, and I'd like to thank everyone at the University of Arizona Police Department who made this reaccreditation possible. Maintaining our accreditation is strongly supported by the university's senior leadership team, and we are thankful to them for their support. Being accredited adds trust and credibility to an already incredible police department and allows us to continue our focus on best practices in higher education policing."
The accreditation means UAPD demonstrated to outside, impartial experts during an on-site assessment that the department and its officers, administrators and civilian staff comply with national best practices in department operations and the recruitment, selection, training and professional development of personnel.
The assessment included reviewing hundreds of policies or practices, including how UAPD trains its investigators, how officers manage property and evidence, how the department provides timely warnings about reported crimes, how it trains for active threat responses and more. The assessment also included an opportunity for members of the public to provide comments to IACLEA assessors.
UAPD, the assessment found, is in compliance with every one of IACLEA's mandatory standards. The department is also in compliance with 93% of the standards that IACLEA designates as "elective."
The IACLEA accreditation will run concurrently with the CALEA accreditation and is valid through April 2026, when UAPD will seek reaccreditation.
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Media contact:
Sgt. Sean Shields
University of Arizona Police Department
520-626-8007
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 50 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2020 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $761 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 66 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.