April 7, 2009

GW Police Department Earns Prestigious Reaccreditation

Only One Percent of Campus Police Nationwide Accredited by Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

The George Washington University Police Department has received reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), a formal recognition earned by less than 1 percent of colleges and university police departments in the country.

"Due to the selectivity of receiving CALEA accreditation, the GW Police Department will continue to be recognized as an elite force among campus police departments nationwide," said University Police Chief Dolores Stafford. "The first reaccreditation process is always very challenging for agencies because they have to prove that they have remained in compliance with all of the standards for a three-year period. At GW, this process has continued to enhance our already-responsive department."

CALEA reaccreditation allows GW to recruit and retain top officers, further improving the caliber of the department. In the District of Columbia, only the Amtrak Police Department, Georgetown University Public Safety Department, Metro Transit Police and the United States Capitol Police share this distinction.

To maintain compliance with CALEA's rigorous standards, GW's University Police Department went through onsite assessments and inspections and attended a public hearing at which CALEA heard testimony from department personnel, assessors, staff and members of the community.

The GW University Police Department protects and serves the University community by providing professional law enforcement services and actively promoting community involvement through progressive community policing strategies and a commitment to education. GWPD employs more than 165 full-time personnel of which more than 90 are sworn police officers. All police officers have attended an initial training series of 700 hours, including a 250-hour campus law enforcement training academy. GWPD also offers several community public safety programs, such as free self-defense courses for women in the GW community.

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