The Department of Public Safety at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has achieved accreditation from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the leading authority for campus public safety. Fewer than 100 agencies nationally have earned this distinctive recognition. In completing this process, NJIT has demonstrated compliance with national best-practice standards for public safety activity.
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. Among the many benefits of accreditation are increased accountability and a commitment to continuous improvement and the maintenance of excellence in operations.
NJIT’s commitment to public safety has made it one of the safest urban campuses in the United States while simultaneously strengthening ties between the campus and the Newark, NJ community. NJIT’s Department of Public Safety is only the second department in New Jersey to have both IACLEA and New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police accreditation, and is the sixth police department to hold a dual accreditation of any type in the state. This places NJIT in the top 1% for both campus law enforcement and law enforcement as a whole throughout the state.
NJIT Chief of Police Kevin Kesselman said, “We pursued IACLEA accreditation, because we knew achieving this goal would assure that our departmental practices would meet the highest standard for campus public safety operations, which is what our university and our community deserve. We are incredibly proud of the accomplishment, and of our work on behalf of the people of NJIT and the city of Newark.”
NJIT President Teik C. Lim said of the department, “What Public Safety has accomplished has been truly remarkable. They have launched new, forward-thinking initiatives, such as a drone program, enhancements to emergency planning, an engaged community policing effort, and more. They are not just first responders in times of crisis. They are ambassadors who represent NJIT on campus and beyond.”
IACLEA President Rob Kilfoyle, Director, Public Safety & Emergency Management, Humber College, added, “We congratulate the NJIT on achieving IACLEA accreditation, a unique distinction among campus police and public safety agencies. The men and women protecting your campus have proven through policy and practice the commitment to operate at the highest level of the profession.”
