Almost four years in the making, Western’s Campus Community Police Service (CCPS) has become the first Canadian force to receive international accreditation.
Following a review from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) – examining all aspects of the campus police’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services – CCPS will be recognized in June at the IACLEA conference in Quebec City.
“Standards are the foundation of policing,” says CCPS director Elgin Austen. “International accreditation ensures a high quality of work and that campus policing expectations are met. Being first in Canada acknowledges the quality of our personnel and Western’s leadership.”
IACLEA advances public safety for educational institutions and includes more than 1,100 colleges and universities in 20 countries, along with 2,000 individual memberships held by campus law enforcement staff, criminal justice faculty members and municipal chiefs of police.
While 17 U.S. colleges and universities have IACLEA accreditation, Western is the first in Canada, with the University of Windsor working toward accreditation.
Headed by CCPS Manager Michael Mics, and with the help of work study students, the process began by reviewing hundreds of policies and procedures to meet the 233 IACLEA standards, which cover areas such as operational openness, criminal arrests, accountability and discipline, training, equipment and use of force.