RUPD receives national accreditation from CALEA

The Rice University Police Department has received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA).

Richard Myers (left), chairman of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., presented RUPD’s certificate of accreditation to Capt. Clemente Rodriguez and Sgt. Carla Barnette.

Only 3 percent of law enforcement agencies in the United States have earned this accreditation, which verifies that the agency meets the commission’s industry best-practice standards and has attained public safety professional excellence.

As part of the voluntary application process, RUPD had to comply with 189 standards, including development of a comprehensive, well-thought-out uniform set of written directives, a preparedness program in place to address natural or man-made critical incidents and accountability for authority, performance and responsibilities both within the agency and the community.

Johnny Whitehead, who retired as chief of police in January, began the application process several years ago. As part of the review process, CALEA conducted a site visit on campus last November that examined all aspects of RUPD’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services

“We are now officially recognized by CALEA as having attained law enforcement accreditation,” said Clemente Rodriguez, interim chief of police. “I am really proud of Sgt. Carla Barnette, who oversaw the application process, and the rest of the leadership team for helping us to achieve this monumental achievement.”

The accreditation is good for four years, during which RUPD must submit annual reports to show continued compliance with the standards under which it was initially accredited.

The purpose of CALEA’s accreditation is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by maintaining a body of standards developed by practitioners in the field that cover a wide range of up-to-date safety initiatives.