EXCELLENCE IN POLICING
ECU Police earn dual accreditation
The East Carolina University Police Department is one of two universities in the UNC system to earn dual accreditation from nationally recognized law enforcement organizations.
ECU Police has been certified by the Commission for Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA, and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). Both organizations evaluate law enforcement agencies across the country to ensure they meet or exceed almost 500 standards measured by documentation, on-site assessments and interviews with community partners.
“The accreditation of our police department by these two prestigious and nationally recognized organizations indicates that East Carolina University is among the finest in the nation,” said ECU Police Chief Gerald Lewis.
ECU and North Carolina State University have the only law enforcement agencies in the UNC system accredited by both organizations.
Officer T. Hammell poses with K-9 Marco. ECU Police were recognized for the unique challenges faced by campus law enforcement.
ECU received IACLEA accreditation for the first time this year. The department has been reaccredited by CALEA every three years since 2007.
According to CALEA, their standards and accreditation is recognized as the benchmark for law enforcement agencies across the country. ECU was one of 14 agencies recognized with CALEA’s Accreditation with Excellence at the organization’s conference in St. Louis, Missouri in April. During the process, two assessors from outside North Carolina visited Greenville for an on-site review and conducted interviews with police personnel, student, faculty and staff representatives.
The IACLEA accreditation – awarded to ECU on June 25 in Phoenix, Arizona – recognizes the unique challenges of law enforcement agencies on college and university campuses. Topics such as Clery Act compliance, emergency notifications and Title IX investigations are included in 18 additional standards required by college police departments. More than 1,000 colleges and universities in 10 countries hold membership with IACLEA.
“These awards are a testimony to the outstanding service provided by our officers, telecommunicators and support staff,” said Chief Lewis.
Annette Parker, accreditation manager for ECU Police, constantly collects and organizes documents to meet requirements and prepare for on-site assessments. Parker said it took approximately five months to assemble the additional paperwork needed for the IACLEA accreditation since it was the first year the department applied.
“Reaccreditation is a team approach with all the police department personnel working together,” Parker said. “The proof of standards come from day-to-day operations that are documented by everyone.”
The ECU Police Department is a full-service agency that employs 58 full-time sworn police officers and 16 non-sworn staff members. The department partners with students, faculty, staff and visitors to provide and maintain a safe learning environment at ECU.
Officer T.W. Moore patrols ECU’s campus