The Campus Police Department at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center received formal accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®). Accreditation by the organization is a highly regarded recognition of public safety excellence.
The police department was awarded the recognition during the CALEA® Awards Banquet last week in Covington, Kentucky.
The accreditation of the UTHSC Police Department by CALEA® recognizes our Campus Police Department among law enforcement agencies nationally,” said Kennard Brown” JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer at UTHSC. “ I applaud the painstaking efforts of Chief Anthony Berryhill and Deputy Chief Arley Knight for the transformation of our department. We want our campus population to know and appreciate that you have a professionally trained and nationally recognized group of dedicated individuals standing ready to serve and protect the faculty, staff and students of our university.”
“Achieving this accreditation is a huge plus for us here at UTHSC,” said Campus Police Chief Anthony Berryhill, who has overseen expansion of the force and improvements in equipment, training, and operations since he joined the university in 2016.
“CALEA® accreditation is the gold seal of approval,” he said. “These standards were developed by the efforts of several major executive law enforcement associations. I am so excited and I hope the UTHSC campus celebrates this accomplishment with us. I am very proud of each and every member of UTHSC Campus Police and Parking Services.”
The Campus Police Department had to pass three levels to be approved by the agency: A policy and procedure review to ensure compliance with CALEA® standards, an onsite assessment to evaluate the enforcement of department policies and procedures, and a presentation before the CALEA® review board. Verification by the assessment team that an organization meets CALEA®’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process for accreditation.
The CALEA® team visited the UTHSC campus in June to evaluate all aspects of the UTHSC Campus Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations, management, and support services. A public information session was held in the Schreier Auditorium in the Student-Alumni Center to address the campus police department’s public safety capabilities. In total, the UTHSC Campus Police Department had to comply with 181 standards to achieve accreditation.
The accreditation status is valid for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports and participate in annual remote web-based assessments attesting continued compliance with accreditation standards.