University Police Seeks Reaccreditation During November Assessors Visit

A team of assessors from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) will visit the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus from Nov. 6 to 8 to examine all aspects of the University Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services.

Verification by the team that University Police (CUPD) meets IACLEA’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of campus public safety professional excellence. CUPD last attained accreditation in 2018. Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards.

University Police officers meet with members of the campus community during the Oct. 5, 2022 Coffee with a Cop event.

University affiliates, CUPD employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling 303-724-6565 on Monday, Nov. 7, between the hours of 1 to 3 p.m. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team.

Telephone comments must address the agency’s ability to comply with IACLEA’s standards. The IACLEA Accreditation Standards Manual is available on the IACLEA website. Anyone wishing to submit written comments about CUPD’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may email them to jumurphy@iaclea.org.

CUPD must comply with 211 standards in order to achieve accredited status, said CU Anschutz Chief of Police Randy Repola.

“We believe that we provide community-oriented campus policing to the highest industry standards,” Repola said. “But we want outside validation of that assertion and the assessors’ ideas on where we can improve. Accreditation demonstrates our commitment to the safest environment possible for our campus community.”

The CUPD accreditation manager is Tom Wilkes, a retired lieutenant from the Aurora Police Department. The assessors, composed of experienced campus law enforcement professionals from out of state, will review written materials, interview individuals and inspect facilities where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are: Chief Brian Seastone (team leader) and Chief of Staff John DeJarnette. Once the assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report back to IACLEA, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status, Wilkes said.

Guest contributor: Ryan Huff, University Police communications