UTSA Police Department receives national accreditation for third time

By Tim Brownlee
Associate Director of Internal Communications

(Dec. 16, 2014) -- The UTSA Police Department has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). It is the third time UTSA received the three-year accreditation, considered the international gold standard and a prized recognition for U.S. public safety agencies.

The UTSA Police Department also is accredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), a rare dual achievement. Of the 14 UT System police departments, only four are dually accredited by IACLEA and CALEA -- UTSA, UT Austin, UT Arlington and the UT Health Science Center at Houston.

"CALEA congratulates The University of Texas at San Antonio Police Department for demonstrating a commitment to professional excellence through accreditation," said J. Grayson Robinson, chairperson of CALEA in Gainesville, Va. "The CALEA accreditation should be displayed proudly."

CALEA standards are geared toward community policing, which aid in better relationships between police and the community. The standards pertain to all police organizations including municipal, county, state and university departments. Accredited agencies must comply with state-of-the-art standards in four areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations and support services.

The accreditation program begins with a rigorous self-assessment, requiring a review of policies, practices and processes against internationally accepted public safety standards. Next, independent officials with significant public safety experience conduct an assessment.

Public feedback is received to promote community trust and engagement, and interviews are conducted with police department personnel and other stakeholders to assess the agency's effectiveness and overall service delivery.

Encompassing police agency best practices, IACLEA and CALEA accreditation benefits include:

• Professional benchmarks for measuring polices and practices
• Demonstrated high quality of services
• Documented procedures that give clear guidance to staff
• Enhanced recruitment and retention of qualified staff
• Staff members trained and functioning according to established policies and procedures
• Boost to institutional pride and employee morale
• Periodic professional review of operations, administration and services

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For more information, contact UTSA Police Chief Steve Barrera at 210-458-4249.

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