UNH Police Department Receives Accreditation

By Jody Record, Media Relations
August 8, 2007

left to right: Chief John Michina, Monroe Police Department, Monroe, Michigan; UNH Deputy Chief Paul Dean, Chief Paul Verrecchia, College of Charleston, South Carolina Department of Public Safety; UNH Chief Nick Halias; Chief Thomas Johnson, Western Carolina University Police Department, Cullowhee, North Carolina and UNH Deputy Chief Paul Kopreski.

The UNH Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), an organization aimed at improving the delivery of public safety.

UNH is only the 7th out of New Hampshire’s 236 police departments and the only campus department in the state to earn the designation. Nearly a four year process, the accreditation involved an agency-wide evaluation by both the department itself and an outside review team.

“The University Police Department is to be commended for achieving the highly regarded CALEA accreditation,” said UNH President Mark Huddleston. “This is a real testament to the department’s commitment to professional excellence and dedication to the safety of the entire university community.”

Good for three years, the accreditation requires yearly reports showing the department is continuing to comply with the commission’s standards. CALEA’s law enforcement program was launched to elevate the law enforcement profession and improve its practices. The first accreditation was given in 1984.

As part of the accreditation process, the UNH department conducted a survey to help them assess whether the needs of the community are being met and how they can best do so, a procedure that Deputy Police Chief Paul Dean described as “peeling back the layers.”

"Accreditation will continue to assist the University Police Department in its pursuit of excellence by strengthening its accountability, limiting liability and improving its relationship with our community through the implementation of proven law enforcement management practices," said UNH Police Chief Nicholas J. Halias

The UNH department has 19 full-time officers and 10 part-time.

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