KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee Police Department (UTPD) is preparing for its first reaccreditation review and is asking the campus and surrounding community for input.
Representatives from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), who are evaluating the department, will hold a public forum from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on April 4, in the Shiloh Room of the Carolyn P. Brown University Center, 1502 Cumberland Avenue. Parking for community members will be available in the Volunteer Hall garage on White Avenue, across Cumberland Avenue from the University Center.
All UT students, faculty, and staff, as well as the greater Knoxville community, are invited to attend and offer comments. The CALEA team will be assessing policies, procedures, management, operations, and support services.
“The first re-accreditation assessment is one of the most challenging to achieve. We’ve worked diligently to maintain the high standards and are hopeful that evaluators will find that the department and the way it is run is a blueprint for a law enforcement agency operation,” Interim Chief Deborah Perry said.
Currently, UTPD is one of only two CALEA-accredited university departments in Tennessee and one of only fifty-three CALEA-accredited university departments in the country.
UT employees, students, and the public are also invited to phone in their feedback by calling 865-974-0136 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on April 3. The CALEA team will take comments on a non-recorded line.
Comments at the public information session and by telephone are limited to ten minutes. Feedback should relate to CALEA’s general areas of focus, which include the department’s ability to prevent and respond to crime, deliver services, build a rapport with the campus community, cooperate with other law enforcement agencies, and continue in its efforts to improve its practices and procedures.
To be accredited, law enforcement agencies must demonstrate:
- a comprehensive set of formal goals and directives;
- a solid structure for providing information and analysis to the chief of police and the management team;
- an emergency preparedness program already in place;
- developing or improving the agency’s relations with the community;
- adherence to stringent standards that promote strong lines of accountability, both within the agency and with the community, and reduce liability and risk exposure to the agency; and
- facilitation of the agency’s pursuit of professional excellence.
UTPD first earned CALEA accreditation in 2009 after three years of preparation. To find out more, visit www.calea.org.
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C O N T A C T :
Deborah Perry, UTPD Interim Chief, (865-974-6631 or perryd@utk.edu)
Emily Simerly, UTPD PIO, (865-974-0163 or emilym@utk.edu)