Yale Security seeks CALEA accreditation for the first time

March 11, 2020

At the beginning of the year, Yale Security started working towards its first official CALEA* (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accreditation. Attaining this accreditation provides objective evidence of an agency’s commitment to excellence in leadership, resource management, and service-delivery. This five-step process takes about 24 months.

Currently, the security team is at step two, which involves reviewing all internal department policies and processes. While step one, enrollment, was easy, the self-assessment phase will take several months. The department’s current policies are being reviewed and compared to CALEA’s standards. When necessary, tweaks will be made or new polices will be created. 

Before step three, when the commission’s auditors are invited to do their web and on-site review, Yale’s Security team will do mock assessments to ensure these policies are being followed and staff is properly trained. CALEA has 132 mandated standards that Yale Security will need to comply with to receive the accreditation.

During their on-site assessment, CALEA auditors will visit campus buildings and interview security staff and officers on standard operating polices and procedures. They will take their findings back to the commission for final review and approval. If approved, Yale Security will be reassessed for compliance every three years.

“There are a lot of benefits to doing this, it makes us more transparent and demonstrates we are holding ourselves to a higher standard,” said Thomas Madera, Security Manager. Other benefits include reducing risk, a strong defense against civil lawsuits, and the ability to build a better relationship with the community because of that transparency.

If approved, Yale Security would be among a handful of universities in Connecticut currently accredited. Stay tuned for future updates on this process.

Many thanks to the dedicated team working on this two-year project:

  • Reggie Chavis, Security Manager
  • Kindra Graham, Security Manager
  • Jesse Johnson, Security Manager
  • Tom Madera, Security Manager
  • Richard Nucci, Security Manager

*CALEA stands for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. and was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement’s major executive associations.