In 2019, the University of Colorado Boulder Police Department started the process of becoming a nationally accredited police department through the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). By becoming accredited, we are committing to law enforcement excellence by meeting national standards that have been deemed essential to the protection of the life, health, safety, and rights of the citizens it serves and having exemplified the best professional practices in the conduct of its responsibilities.
“Accreditation has been a strategic focus of Chief Jokerst and the CUPD staff since she arrived at CU Boulder two years ago and is critical to ensuring community centered agency,” said Dan Jones, Associate Vice Chancellor for Integrity, Safety and Compliance. “The University supports this work and is committed to assisting CUPD successfully complete the accreditation process.”
The accreditation process can take several years as the department works through a five-step process; candidacy, self-assessment, on-site assessment, commission review and award, and maintaining compliance.
Self-assessment, the step CUPD is currently in, is the longest of the five steps and requires that the department compares its policies and programs against the IACLEA standards. If deficiencies are identified, adjustments are made to existing policies or new policies are developed. Once the department documents that they meet the standards, the on-site visit is scheduled.
“Accreditation holds the Chief of Police accountable to ensuring that all of the agency’s policies and procedures are at a very high standard,” CUPD Chief Doreen Jokerst said. “It is a platform for excellence and goes towards our vision at CUPD, to be the top university law enforcement agency in the nation.”
Once accreditation is awarded, it is valid for four years. During that time, CUPD will continue to measure their performance against the standards, submitting annual reports demonstrating compliance to ensure that the accreditation is renewed.