In order to provide an enhanced environment of safety and security the UNLPD voluntarily participates in the accreditation process with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®), which serves as a checks and balance system. This process, along with gathering and providing crime statistics, allows us to look for trends and helps us improve as a department to maintain the highest level of service possible using best practices.
As a part of this continuing process, the UNLPD provides an opportunity for public feedback via the CALEA Portal which can be located at the following: https://cimrs2.calea.org/744
The purpose of this public portal is to receive comments regarding the UNLPD’s compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the campus community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for continued accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide the UNLPD with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster our pursuit of professional excellence, so we urge you to provide your thoughts.
All information provided via the portal will be considered by CALEA assessors in context of its relevancy regarding compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA accreditation. It is important to know that CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes; there will be no response other than acknowledgement of the submission.
The titles of applicable standards may be viewed on the CALEA website at: Law Enforcement - Standards Titles | CALEA® | The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The level of accreditation in which the UNLPD participates includes only those standards in bold, known as LE1 or Tier 1.
If you have questions about our agency’s accreditation, standards, or the process, please contact Jon-Michael MCDaniel at 402-472-8430 or jm.mcdaniel@unl.edu.
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Incorporated (CALEA)
In 2012, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department voluntarily elected to enter the law enforcement accreditation process. Accreditation requires an extensive commitment by all department personnel to the pursuit of excellence, as recognized by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Incorporated (CALEA). CALEA is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1979 through the combined efforts of four major law enforcement associations (International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs' Association, and Police Executive Research Forum), created to develop a set of law enforcement standards that improved the delivery of law enforcement services nationwide. These standards, which represent “best practices,” cover a wide range of initiatives and are constantly evaluated and amended by CALEA’s commissioners, who are all public safety professionals, to ensure applicability to the top current law enforcement procedures and trends.
Gaining CALEA accreditation requires verification of full compliance with all standards through documentation and an on-site review by a CALEA assessment team every four years. The assessment team’s report is reviewed by a committee of CALEA commissioners, then must be approved by the entire Commission. The process provides agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate compliance with an established set of professional standards which:
- Require agencies to develop a comprehensive, clear and uniform set of written directives to not only provide direction to personnel, but also to help reach administrative and operational goals.
- Require the creation and provision of reports and analyses to the CEO which are necessary for making fact-based, informed management decisions.
- Require a preparedness program to ensure an agency is ready to address natural or man-made critical incidents.
- Provide a means for developing or improving upon an agency’s relationship with the community.
- Strengthen an agency’s accountability, both within the agency and the community, through a set of standards that clearly define authority, performance, and responsibilities.
- Can limit an agency’s liability and risk exposure, as it demonstrates that internationally recognized standards for law enforcement have been met, as verified by a team of outside CALEA-trained assessors.
- Increase cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies and with other agencies of the criminal justice system.
- Increase citizen and employee confidence in the goals, objectives, policies, and practices of the agency.
- Facilitate an agency’s pursuit of professional excellence.
On March 21, 2015, the UNLPD was awarded accreditation for the first time, becoming one of only a small number of university police departments nationally accredited. After maintaining CALEA’s high standards and successfully undergoing another on-site assessment, the UPD received re-accreditation on March 24, 2018. The UPD’s continued accreditation represents our professionalism and the ways in which our department’s vigilant prevention, enforcement and community presence measure up to CALEA’s standards. To uphold this honor and strive for excellence, we will continue monitoring department activities and practices to ensure they meet CALEA standards and maintain our accreditation. To learn more, visit CALEA website.
Storm Ready Campus Certification
Being part of a Weather-Ready Nation is about building community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events. Americans live in the most severe weather-prone country on Earth. Each year, Americans cope with an average of the following intense storms:
- 100,000 thunderstorms
- 10,000 severe thunderstorms
- 5,000 floods or flash floods
- 1,000 tornadoes
- 2 landfalling deadly hurricanes
And this dangerous weather is in addition to winter storms, intense summer heat, high winds, wild fires and other deadly weather impacts.
No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives. Below are the requirements for our campus to be certified as Storm Ready:
- Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
- Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
- Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
- Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
- For more complete information of being a Storm Ready Campus, go here
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is proud to be a certified StormReady Campus!
Equal Opportunity and Nondiscriminatory Workplace
Inline with the policies put forth by the UNL's Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, the UNL Police Department promotes a nondiscriminatory work environment. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work and learning environment free from discrimination and harassment. UNL is dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and included. UNL does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities and employment. UNL complies with all local, state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination, including Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.
It also complies with the Equal Employment Opportunity policy put forth by the Department of Human Resources in its hiring practices.
Title IX Compliance
UNL is dedicated to the prevention of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, and providing a safe campus for its employees and students. In order to be proactive in its efforts, UNL has established procedures and policies to investigate complaints and address identified concerns. All Police Department employees have gone through the Title IX training provided through the university.
Title IX is a federal, civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination in education. Title IX ensures that universities are proactive in handling gender discrimination, have established procedures for handling gender discrimination, harassment, and violence, and provide support for survivors. Read the Chancellor's Policy Memorandum on Title IX Compliance to learn more about how UNL is taking steps to establish a safe, diverse and inclusive work and learning environment.
Clery Act
The Federal law known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, better known as the Clery Act, was enacted to help create safer university communities throughout the nation. The "Clery Act" is named in memory of 19 year old Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Ann Clery who was raped and murdered while asleep in her residence hall room on April 5, 1986. The Act is enforced by the United States Department of Education. The University is serious about its responsibility for complying not only with requirements of the Act, but more importantly, complying with the spirit of the Act.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act requires all colleges and universities who receive federal funding to share information about crime on campus and their efforts to improve campus safety as well as inform the public of crime in or around campus. The Clery Act also establishes Campus Security Authorities comprised of faculties and staff whom students can approach instead of talking to police personnel. All campus crime statistics is gathered by a Clery Act Coordinator housed within the Police Department and compiled into a publicly accessible through the university's Annual Campus Security & Fire Safety Report.