A public portal for community comments about the Rice University Police Department (RUPD) will be open between Jan. 29 and March 31 as part of an annual inspection conducted by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in an effort for RUPD to maintain national accreditation.
The accreditation program requires law enforcement agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy or procedure, administration, operations, and support services.
As a part of the assessment, agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments via the online portal during that time frame. To access the portal, visit cimrs2.calea.org/500.
The purpose of the public portal is to receive comments regarding RUPD’s compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide the participating agency with information to support continuous improvement as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.
During the assessment, CALEA will examine all aspects of RUPD’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services. The assessment will consist of one CALEA Compliance Service Member, who will verify that RUPD meets the commission industry best practice standards.
RUPD must comply with 189 standards to maintain accreditation status. The assessor will review written materials and interview individuals where compliance can be witnessed. Once the CALEA assessor completes their review, they will report back to the commission, which will then decide if RUPD will retain accredited status. Accreditation remains valid for three years, during which RUPD must submit annual reports to show continued compliance with the standards under which it was initially accredited.
A copy of the standards is available by writing the commission at 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155.