NAUPD earns seventh re-accreditation, excellence award

The Northern Arizona University Police Department has earned its seventh re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, known as CALEA.

NAUPD also was selected by the commissioners to receive the Accreditation with Excellence Award, which was created by CALEA as a symbolic incentive for agencies to employ the accreditation in a manner that sets the benchmark for public safety professionalism.

A team of assessors visited the university in November to examine NAUPD’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services. The agency evaluates departments on 482 professional standards based on best practices in public safety and maintains what is considered the highest law enforcement accreditation standard in the world.

“This re-accreditation and excellence award signifies to the community that their police department is operated in a professional fashion and serves as a model for other departments,” said NAU Police Chief G.T. Fowler. “CALEA provides a robust model that enables us to both more effectively manage our resources and partner with the community we serve.”

NAUPD has held CALEA accreditation since 1995 when it became the sixth police department in Arizona and the ninth university police department in the country to obtain the accreditation.