General Information and Introduction
Most parents today are concerned about the safety of their children when they are away from home. Likewise, those students who commute to our campus, our faculty, administrators and staff also want a safe and secure learning and working environment. Central Connecticut State University understands these concerns and is proud of its record in ensuring that people enjoy their time at Central as free as possible from threats to their safety and well-being.
The Central commitment to public safety is expressed in several ways.
Police Services: On-duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is a fully staffed, well equipped, and highly trained police department that is empowered to enforce all laws and regulations. This service is "customer" oriented and takes pride in its contributions to the quality of campus life.
Fire Protection: Central station-monitored alarm system combined with full time fire-safety personnel and adequate training is the front line defenses against fire.
Residence Life: A caring Residence Life program with a live-in director and resident assistants on each residence hall floor.
Facilities: Campus facilities planning incorporates the concept of crime prevention through environmental design.
Technology:
- Emergency telephones strategically located throughout the campus
- Localized and centrally monitored access control systems
- Closed circuit television (CCTV) in use at various public spaces on the campus.
- Central station-monitored fire alarm system
- Emergency notification systems
Policies: Tough policies restrict alcohol usage and prohibit illegal drug usage and the possession of weapons on our campus. A campus judicial system is in place to deal appropriately with behaviors proscribed by campus regulations.
Counseling Services: The availability of counseling, referral, and health services for students developing problems related to substance abuse or socialization.
Mission of the Police Department
To help ensure a safe, healthy, stable work and learning environment. To carry out the role in a collaborative and professional manner that respects and protects the rights of all individuals, through our commitment, service, and integrity.
Goals
- Reduce crime.
- Increase crime clearance rates through diligence of effort.
- Develop and maintain partnerships between the community in an effort to identify concerns and crime problems.
- Incorporate intelligence-led policing analysis with our service oriented and community policing philosophies.
- Look for new and innovative ways to increase safety through crime prevention through environmental design methods.
- Cultivate, enhance, and nurture trustworthy relationships with the community we serve.
- Create a campus culture that recognizes the importance of personal and community safety.
- Develop strategies to recruit/retain employees, enhance employee satisfaction and staff development.
Core Values
- Service: Our commitment to a proactive, fair, and professional approach to all those we serve; the knowledge and experience we will share to help ensure a positive difference is made in our community.
- Professionalism: We value professionalism through our clear sense of commitment, perspective and direction. Professionalism is developed by creating an environment that encourages teamwork, innovation and constant evaluation of ourselves. Our professional attitude is dedicated to quality, timeliness, and excellence in our service to the community.
- Integrity: Basing our decisions on what is legally and ethically right, safeguarding the legal rights, privileges, and dignity of all people through honesty and moral soundness.
- Commitment: Exhibiting the spirit of determination and dedication that leads to professionalism and the achievement of excellence in every endeavor. Our unrelenting determination to achieve a standard of excellence in everything we do.
- Loyalty: Allegiance, faithfulness.
Authority
Each of Connecticut's four-year universities has its own police department accountable to the president of each university. Each of these police agencies is also empowered to act in the same capacity as municipal police departments and each maintains a well equipped and highly trained department that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The officers in these police departments have the same legal authority granted to police officers across the state pertaining arrest, search and seizure. For example, their authority with respect to minor crimes is generally limited to property owned or under the control of the University, while they may take police action anywhere within the state for serious crimes. Accordingly, the services of the campus police mirror those provided in any community and include:
- Patrolling the university around the clock.
- Responding to a full range of emergency and routine calls for service
- Crime prevention/education activities
- Investigation of crimes on campus
- Enforcement of state criminal and motor vehicle laws, and campus regulations.
These police officers are also members of the administration at Central and thus also have authority to refer student misconduct to the Office of Student Conduct.
Personnel
The staff of the University Police consists of approximately 30 people, 18 of which are sworn police officers. Full time and part time civilian employees, including students, provide support in such functions as administration, communications, security, parking enforcement and fleet management.
Selection and Training
All of our Police officers are subject to the stringent requirements imposed upon all police officers in Connecticut. To be selected, potential police officers must pass a written examination, an oral interview, a background investigation that includes a polygraph examination, psychological and drug screening, as well as a physical fitness evaluation. Upon selection, recruits train with police recruits from municipalities across the State at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden. The approximately 17-week basic training course is supplemented by several weeks of field training. Once certified, officers must continue to undergo ongoing training in specified areas to maintain their certification. Similarly, our dispatchers must meet certification standards through training in the skills of managing a communications center.
CALEA Accreditation
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The Central Connecticut State University Police Department is an accredited law enforcement police department through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®). The Department was first awarded accreditation through CALEA in 1999.
The purpose of CALEA's Law Enforcement Accreditation process is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by maintaining a body of "best practices" standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.
CALEA's goals are to help a law enforcement agency:
- Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities
- Formalize essential management procedures
- Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices
- Improve service delivery
- Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination
- Increase community and staff confidence in the agency
CALEA invites the public to comment and provide feedback on the Central Police Department’s ability to comply with CALEA Law Enforcement Standards using the Commission’s Accreditation Public Comment Portal. Access to this portal is provided as an opportunity for comments, commendations, and other information regarding the Central Police Department’s quality of service or other information relevant to the accreditation process.
*Click on the following link to access the portal: https://cimrs2.calea.org/358*
IMPORTANT: CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes. Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgment to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.
Facilities
The University Police Department is currently located at 1500 East Street (29D on Campus Map), near the Rt 9 overpass/Ex 29 N, and is open 24 hours a day. The administrative services portion of the department is open from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.