CALEA Reaccreditation

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) has awarded reaccreditation to the Yale Public Safety (YPS) Security Department. The public safety industry regards CALEA accreditation as the “gold standard.” Yale Security stands out as one of only seven campus security agencies to achieve CALEA accreditation.

YPS’s Security Department received its initial accreditation in April 2022. Yale Security’s continued commitment to meeting and exceeding the CALEA standards underscores the department’s professionalism, accountability, and dedication to campus safety and service. It also exemplifies Yale Security’s efforts to earn and maintain the community’s trust. During this accreditation cycle, CALEA reviewed Yale Security communications and patrol operations.

To achieve CALEA accreditation, agencies must demonstrate clear, written policies and effective training and evaluation practices, among many other benchmarks. The CALEA accreditation process aims to foster a culture of accountability within departments. Demonstrating compliance helps build trust within communities and reduces an agency’s potential for legal risks.

Once an agency obtains CALEA accreditation, maintaining it becomes a continuous process requiring various steps annually over four-year cycles. In the final phase of Yale Security’s latest review cycle, the team completed extensive paperwork, underwent a site-based assessment in December, and participated in an in-person review by a group of CALEA commissioners.

This in-person panel review took place earlier this month at the CALEA conference in Arizona. Duane Lovello, head of Public Safety, Tom Madera, associate director of Public Safety Support Services, Kindra Graham, assistant director of Public Safety Communications, Sharon McLaurin, director of Security, answered commissioner questions. Commissioners praised YPS’s “fit-for-purpose” differential response model for campus safety, which involves continuous assessment and innovation to deploy the appropriate resources to address issues. They also expressed interest in YPS’s decision to create its own staff bias training, based on recognized practices but tailored to our university setting and culture.

The CALEA reaccreditation certificate now hangs within the Yale Security office. YPS appreciates the team’s hard work on this project, including contributions from Rich Nucci, assistant director of Public Safety Scheduling and Administration, and Bill Hewitt, communications manager. The team will pause only briefly before continuing the annual process and procedures required to maintain this reaccreditation.