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Barring Floyd, accreditation review forges ahead by Cindy A. Abole Public Relations Should they or shouldn't they? That was the question on everyone's mind a few weeks ago as the Department of Public Safety regrouped from its safety mission on the heels of Hurricane Floyd. A confident chief Charles Wiley, director of Public Safety and deputy chief Ronald J. Underwood, both knew that “the show must go on.” Wiley made the decision to forge ahead with the scheduled accreditation assessment and visit. His confidence in his troops and leadership helped inspire an already weary staff, helping them rise to another measure of preparedness.  A voluntary effort, the accreditation process is sponsored by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). It's designed to recognize law enforcement agencies for their professional abilities and excellence. “It has long been true that universities and hospitals must attain accredited status in order to ensure customers that they aspire to the highest standards of professionalism and service delivery and it follows that those of us charged with the responsibility for public safety at these institutions should likewise be accredited,” Wiley said. On Sept. 19, a three-member CALEA assessment team arrived on campus to begin reviewing agency files, interviewing operations and management personnel and confirming compliance procedures as part of the approval process. A portion of their time was devoted to hearing public response to the staff and its abilities. The CALEA team included: Chief Darrell L. Fant, Highland Park (Texas) Department of Public Safety; Col. John L. Cunningham, chief of police, Newcastle County (Del.) Police Department; and Sgt. Sean Kelly, Durham (NH) Police Department. “It's easy to see the positive results and effectiveness of MUSC's Public Safety Department throughout the many changes,” said team leader Fant. “Their response to an emergency situation further documents the agency's ability to provide service and display professionalism in an emergency.” By undergoing the process, Public Safety accomplishes two milestones: first, to become the first medical institution to undergo accreditation and to acquire the ability to quickly prepare for such an event which, according to Wiley, can take up to two years. MUSC was able to accomplish this within the past 12 months.  By meeting these standards, Public Safety hopes to join the ranks of university organizations and more than 460 nationally-accredited law enforcement agencies that are CALEA certified. Many of the perks for accreditation go hand-in-hand with today's business standards, including accountability, increased cooperation and coordination with community law enforcement agencies and government officials, public confidence in agency goals, objectives and practices, and controlled liability of insurance costs. Although the cost for accreditation is estimated to be approximately $7,500, Wiley believes that the costs will be recouped many times over. “There are examples of lawsuits that have been dismissed against agencies due to their accredited status. The savings are realized in reduced liability through tried and tested policies that are nationally recognized as state-of-the-art,” Wiley said.  So what's next in public safety's accreditation process? The assessment team will make its formal report to CALEA commissioners in several weeks. Meanwhile, plans are underway to recognize representatives from the newly accredited agencies at the CALEA national conference, which will be held next month in Atlanta. The assessment team has indicated that a most favorable report is imminent.