By Christian Bustos
Eastern Kentucky University Police Department is now a five-time accredited law enforcement agency by the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP). The EKU Police Department provides 24-hour patrol of the university’s Richmond campus and consists of 24 sworn police officers and eight 911 dispatchers.
“One of my main goals as police chief is to provide the university community with a police department that they can have trust in,” said Brandon Collins, EKU’s chief of police. The mission of the EKU Police Department is to enhance the quality of life by providing a safe and secure environment through professional service to the community.
EKU Police Department received their first accreditation in 1997. According to the KACP website, “Accreditation reflects that the agency was carefully measured against an established set of standards and has met or exceeded professionally accepted practices in law enforcement.”
Dr. Bryan Makinen, EKU’s associate vice president of public safety, said, “Members of the EKU Police Department care deeply about serving our community in meaningful ways. We are honored and excited about achieving this milestone, which showcases to our community the high standard of professionalism, continuous improvement and accountability. ”
KACP was founded in 1971 to “secure official and personal cooperation among law enforcement executives and the citizens of Kentucky,” according to their website. With over 500 members, the association offers law enforcement programs to assist Kentucky law enforcement professionals. The KACP accreditation program allows state law enforcement agencies to demonstrate professional standards.
According to Makinen, “The accreditation process entails an independent body of professionals evaluating the department’s policies and practices to ensure they are continually updated and improved, practiced by members and are in line with modern practices. The benefit of this process,” he said, “is that all written documents are actively put into practice to ensure the community is served in a consistent manner.”
With EKU’s Police Department committed to keeping campus and students safe, Collins reminds students of helpful tips to stay safe in the community:
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Download the EKU S.A.F.E. App which allows anyone to communicate with the EKU Police Department either by messaging a 911 dispatcher or requesting police or other emergency services. From the App, the click of one button connects to an EKU police dispatcher 24 hours a day.
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Subscribe to emergency notifications through RAVE Mobile Safety using myEKU, in order to be notified of any emergency or dangerous situations affecting the campus community.
For more information about the EKU Police Department, visit police.eku.edu.