Rowan Public Safety receives national accreditation

Photo by Christopher Ebdon

Last Monday, it was announced that the Rowan University’s police force will be the first university force in the state to receive national accreditation, as well as the first force in the county to receive the honor.

For the last five years, Rowan Public Safety has been working on receiving national accreditation for its law enforcement efforts on campus.

Michael Kantner, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety and the Office of Emergency Management said, “It is a commitment to excellence. When law enforcement and public safety agencies undertake the process of being accredited, they are saying ‘I will make sure we will live up to the highest standards in our profession.’”

The university sought accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

“Rowan Public Safety takes great pride in the professionalism and leadership of our officers,” said senior director and head of the accreditation team, Reed Layton in a news release. “CALEA accreditation means that we’re achieving the highest possible professional standards as we serve the community.”

The news release said, “The assessors determined the department’s compliance with CALEA standards, viewed the agency’s operations, and conducted a public information session. The assessors then made a recommendation for accreditation to the commission, which granted national accreditation on Saturday, March 26.”

Kantner said Rowan decided to get nationally accredited through the credentialing authority rather than the state because there are more standards to adhere to. According to the CALEA website, the commission has 464 standards for law enforcement to meet. Kantner said the state only has about 112 standards.

The commission requires self-assessment, on-site assessment and commission review. Kantner said the on-site assessment required the university to pay assessors from the commission to spend three days at Rowan and observe the law enforcement practices on campus.

“It is an investment that is a necessity, I feel that this investment is showing the public that we are very serious about providing the best service possible, to protect the health, safety and welfare of everyone on this campus,” Kantner said.

According to the news release, “CALEA accreditation addresses nine major law enforcement areas and helps law enforcement agencies strengthen crime prevention, formalize essential management procedures, establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices, improve service delivery, solidify interagency cooperation and coordination and boost citizen and staff confidence in the agency, according to CALEA.”

This process began when the late Tim Michener, former director of public safety, transitioned the university from a mainly security campus to having more police officers.

“(Michener) wanted to say ‘okay, here is a set of standards to make sure these officers offer the best protection possible,’” Kantner said.

The university has to maintain the standards that got it the accreditation, and apply again every three years to keep it.

“It’s going to be a challenge because the university is growing,” Kantner said. “But, it’s a great thing for this university bec when people want to send their kid to college, what is the first thing parents ask? Is it safe.”