Grand Valley recently became the only college or university in Michigan to have its Department of Public Safety achieve law enforcement accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
The recognition follows months of work throughout the department to document and implement life, health, and safety procedures that meet rigorous criteria that CALEA calls “the gold standard in public safety.”
Brandon DeHaan, chief of police and director of public safety, said the certification is a testament to his department’s dedication to professionalism, innovation and integrity.
“We chose to go down this road because it is the most challenging,” DeHaan said. “We’ve identified the best policies and procedures for our university and this accreditation is a reflection of that work.”
CALEA’s accreditation process requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four areas:
- Policies and procedures
- Administration
- Operations
- Support services
Part of the process included a public comment session to solicit feedback.
The process included a review of written materials, individual interviews and a virtual tour of campus for evidence of compliance with CALEA standards. Grand Valley’s assessment was conducted by seasoned law enforcement professionals from the University of Chicago Police Department and the University of Florida Police Department.
A certificate of accreditation was presented to DeHaan, Capt. Kourosh Khatir and Sgt. Brian Hedberg, who led the accreditation process for Grand Valley, at the CALEA national conference in St. Louis in November.
