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Public Safety wins national accreditation by Cindy A. Abole Public Relationsby  Stick another feather in MUSC’s cap for professionalism and excellence. This feather happens to belong to the Department of Public Safety, which was recently tapped for accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).  MUSC received accreditation with 69 other national agencies at a ceremony in Atlanta. Of the country’s 17,000 police agencies, only about 500 have attained accreditation status. The Medical University Public Safety was one of two South Carolina agencies that received accreditation approval by the commission. Adding these programs increased the Palmetto State’s total number of accrediting agencies to 20. It places South Carolina within the country’s top 10 accredited law enforcement agencies following other states like Florida, Ohio, Georgia and a number of southern states also listed. “This good news helps to verify that South Carolina is on the cutting edge of law enforcement,” said Chief Charles Wiley, director of the Department of Public Safety. “One of the positive outcomes for us is that accreditation ensures us that our policies and procedures are state-of-the-art and nationally accepted.” Although CALEA accreditation is conducted as a voluntary process, the award helps to maintain the university and industry standards for excellence.  In South Carolina, MUSC follows the University of South Carolina, the Charleston Police Department, S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and 15 other law enforcement agencies who follow professional quality standards. Nationally, MUSC is listed among other prestigious schools and medical institutions like Georgetown University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland-Baltimore. “Colleges and universities are accredited,” Wiley said. “Medical centers and hospitals are accredited. We have both here at MUSC. Shouldn’t our Department of Public Safety be accredited as well?” In September, a team of CALEA representatives arrived at MUSC’s campus to complete the final segment of the accreditation process by conducting an on-site assessment. They gathering information, reviewed records and interviewed public safety personnel, staff and campus community to confirm compliance. Overall, MUSC was able to successfully meet all 436 requirements necessary to attain accreditation status. For MUSC, accreditation comes with many rewards. First, it benefits the university’s budget; something that is important during the hospital’s tight budget times. Secondly, it’s a benefit to employees, visitors, patients, and the Lowcountry community, according to Bob Gallager, vice president for Finance and Administration. “Accreditation helps boost morale, improve efficiency within the department, build self esteem reduce turnover among employees, and creates better trained, educated and equipped officers in Public Safety,” said Gallager. Accreditation is consistent with the Division of Finance and Administration’s goals for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). It is one of three improvement projects that the CQI team have identified and completed. “Obtaining this award is like receiving a big pat on the back,” Gallager said.