Cal State Fullerton Police Receive National Accreditation

Cal State Fullerton's University Police has become one of the first in the CSU system to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. University Police was awarded a full three-year accreditation at the organization's winter meeting Nov. 14-17 in San Diego.

"This is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence," noted Chief Judi King. "We are proud to have achieved this honor, which acknowledges the high quality of the service provided by our employees.

"This puts us on the same level as every other police department that has met the standards for accreditation," added King, who noted that only nine law enforcement agencies hold this distinction in California. Along with Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Los Angeles and UC San Francisco are the only universities in the state with this accreditation.

As part of the accreditation process, assessors with the Fairfax, Va., organization visited the campus in August, holding a public hearing and on-site assessment of all aspects of the department's policy and procedures, management, operations and support services to verify that the university meets the commission's standards.

"The California State University, Fullerton Police Department was thoroughly prepared for this on-site [visit]. The files were unparalleled in their completeness, and personnel and procedures met or exceeded standards in every area," noted George E. Carpenter, assessment team leader, in a letter sent to King following the visit. "Of special note is the employees' general attitude toward accreditation: openly supportive and accepting of new directives and new programs, recognizing the progress that accreditation is bringing them."

"Your agency's accreditation represents the satisfactory completion of a process of thorough, agencywide self-evaluation, concluded by an exacting outside review by a team of independent assessors," noted William D. Miller, commission chair, and Sylvester Daughtry, executive director, in a letter of congratulations.

Seals from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies will be affixed to all Public Safety vehicles, and staff members will wear pins symbolizing the achievement, King said. Of Public Safety's 29 full-time employees, 20 are sworn police officers who have received training through accredited police academies. They operate with similar responsibilities and authority as officers in municipal and county law enforcement agencies.

"Our common goal," noted King, "is to assure that our campus is a safe place to study, teach, work, reside and visit."