2008 Woodie Awards
UIC Police granted recognition by state
Heather Jackson
Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: News
Media Credit: Erica RodriguezThe UIC Police have been granted recognition by the state of Illinois for their high-quality service to the UIC campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
The UIC Police department was recognized in the state by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
The UIC Police are the first university police department in the state to receive this recognition. Recognition can only occur after a demanding two-year review of core standards. These reviews are made up of audits, inspections and interviews with officers and commanders.
"[Accreditation] is a process we decided to pursue because the law enforcement accreditation standards are internationally recognized standards of providing police service, and that is something we wanted for our department. This makes the job we do here on campus very transparent and helps us provide better service to the community. Secondly, every other component of the university is accredited in their appropriate area, and we felt we should be held to the same standard," stated Joanne Nee, Training and Accreditation Sergeant of the UIC Police.
"[The accreditation] makes me feel better and in good hands. There are so many shootings, and it's good to know we've got good officers on campus," said Sarah Faruqui, a second-year education major.
This recognition covers a three-year time span where continual compliance is demonstrated by the department. Also during this time the department will try to achieve a higher level of accreditation. The higher accreditation requires a further examination on 459 standards.
"We were already following these guidelines, but did not necessarily have the written direct that assures uniformity. This just makes everything we do and the excellence we seek official," stated Nee.
"Recognition acknowledges our competencies and professionalism as a department," said John Richardson, chief of UIC Police.
The UIC Police are not strictly campus police. "University police have all the powers possessed by police in cities and by sheriffs, including the power to make arrests on view and on warrants of violations of state statutes and city or county ordinances," states the UIC police webpage.
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The UIC Police are the first university police department in the state to receive this recognition. Recognition can only occur after a demanding two-year review of core standards. These reviews are made up of audits, inspections and interviews with officers and commanders.
"[Accreditation] is a process we decided to pursue because the law enforcement accreditation standards are internationally recognized standards of providing police service, and that is something we wanted for our department. This makes the job we do here on campus very transparent and helps us provide better service to the community. Secondly, every other component of the university is accredited in their appropriate area, and we felt we should be held to the same standard," stated Joanne Nee, Training and Accreditation Sergeant of the UIC Police.
"[The accreditation] makes me feel better and in good hands. There are so many shootings, and it's good to know we've got good officers on campus," said Sarah Faruqui, a second-year education major.
This recognition covers a three-year time span where continual compliance is demonstrated by the department. Also during this time the department will try to achieve a higher level of accreditation. The higher accreditation requires a further examination on 459 standards.
"We were already following these guidelines, but did not necessarily have the written direct that assures uniformity. This just makes everything we do and the excellence we seek official," stated Nee.
"Recognition acknowledges our competencies and professionalism as a department," said John Richardson, chief of UIC Police.
The UIC Police are not strictly campus police. "University police have all the powers possessed by police in cities and by sheriffs, including the power to make arrests on view and on warrants of violations of state statutes and city or county ordinances," states the UIC police webpage.
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