Bucks County Community College announced that its Office of Security & Safety has achieved accreditation from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, the leading authority for campus public safety. The Bucks Office of Security & Safety demonstrated to outside, impartial experts its compliance with national best-practice standards in the profession. Fewer than 100 agencies have earned this distinctive recognition.
The Bucks Office of Security & Safety is now one of only two IACLEA-accredited campus safety agencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and one of only three community colleges nationwide to achieve the accreditation to date.
“We congratulate the Bucks County Community College Office of Security & Safety on achieving IACLEA accreditation, a unique distinction among campus police and public safety agencies,” said IACLEA president Paul Dean. “The men and women protecting your campus have proven through policy and practice the commitment to operate at the highest level of the profession.”
IACLEA accreditation signifies an agency’s ongoing commitment to excellence and state-of-the-art performance in every aspect of its operations. The standards guide the recruitment, selection, training and professional development of agency personnel and overall agency operations.
“The IACLEA accreditation is proof-positive of the steadfast work and attention to detail that our campus safety team exhibits every day,” said Bucks County Community College president Patrick Jones. “Our security and safety professionals are focused on maintaining the highest standards of safety and security on each of our campuses throughout the county.”
Among the many benefits of the accreditation are increased accountability from agency personnel and the agency as a whole, and a commitment to continuous improvement to maintain excellent operations.
“The accreditation is a direct result of our entire team’s professionalism and commitment to protecting the campus community, as well as the ongoing support from college leadership,” said Dennis McCauley, executive director of Security & Safety for the college. “It was truly an honor to accept the award on behalf of Security & Safety and Bucks County Community College.”
Achieving accreditation was a multi-year undertaking in which department policies and procedures were completely revised to conform with the campus safety best practices specified by IACLEA’s rigorous standards. As the final step in the process, a team of IACLEA assessors conducted a thorough review of the department’s policies and procedures followed by a three-day on-site visit in April, during which they inspected Security & Safety’s facilities and equipment, observed operations, met with team members, interviewed stakeholders and invited public comment.
McCauley accepted the accreditation award on behalf of the Office of Security & Safety at IACLEA’s National Conference on June 25. The IACLEA accreditation is valid for a four-year period after which the agency can apply for re-accreditation.
