A resolution passed by the UNH Student Senate on Sunday, Oct. 16 approved the UNH Police Department accreditation with the purpose of congratulating and recognizing the department for their work. The intention of the resolution is to show the UNH student body that their police department is a commendable organization that keeps the community safe.
In order for a police department to be accredited, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) needs to comply with the newly approved 484 standards that address all aspects of police work.
Student Senate Judiciary Affairs Chairman Brennan Pouliot and Student Body Vice-President Carley Rotenberg met with UNH Police Department Accreditation Manager Allison Jean met earlier this week to discuss accreditation status.
Pouliot said that he is impressed with the university police’s proactivity. Pouliot said he typically meets with UNH Police Department Captain Steven Lee once a month to discuss upcoming concerns, such as Halloween weekend activities.
According to the UNH website, the university police go through an accreditation process every three years. Jean has worked closely with Student Senate to draft the resolution for the UNH Police Department accreditation, which the university applied for in April 2016.
The role Pouliot plays as judiciary affairs chairman is that he oversees matters regarding public safety, legal services and the office of community standards, while also ensuring that the UNH Police Department is prepared for crisis situations.
“Standards are revised by a board of commissioners regularly,” Jean said. “[The standards] change to meet the needs of the community and law enforcement best practices.”
The UNH Police Department is also accredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), which includes other specific standards that are particular to the UNH campus, ranging from blue-light safety phones to compliance with the both the Jeanne Clery Act and matters concerning Title IX.
The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities receiving federal funding to share information regarding crime on campus, efforts to improve campus safety and to inform the public of all crime in or around campus.
Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
According to Jean, CALEA’s standards include requiring university police to develop transparent policies, promote accountability with the community and the law enforcement agency, establish best practices and strengthen ties with the community.
“Accreditation encourages using [the] best policies and practices to conduct our job,” Jean said. “This includes our agency reaching out to the community of students, staff and faculty for feedback and information on how we can improve our services, what types of programs they would like to see and how we can continue to keep the campus safe.”
Former Student Body President Cameron Cook spoke at the public hearing during the accreditation on-site visit, according to Jean, and university police also reached out to various marketing students to help develop marketing and recruitment plans to attract a diversified police workforce.
In an effort to ensure campus safety, the UNH Police Department has taught several active shooter training seminars for students and staff members. They have also provided women’s self-defense classes and addressed other topics important to student safety.
“I’m just really proud of the police department,” Pouliot said. “Recently there are more regulations that they have to have and they’ve been proactively doing those before they’re mandated by CALEA, so they’ve been doing a really job good staying ahead of the curve.”