The Cornell University Police Department (CUPD) has received accreditation for the second time in a row by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) for “demonstrating a commitment to the highest professional practices in campus public safety management, administration, operations and support services.”

The reaccreditation signifies that Cornell has provided proof of meeting 239 standards issued by the IACLEA; the university first received this accreditation in 2010 and will be reevaluated against these standards again in May 2017.

“The assessors were impressed by the number and variety of crime prevention and outreach programs that we provide to the community annually,” said Chief of Police Kathy Zoner. “We provided more than 71 programs, from personal security to identity theft, alcohol awareness and winter driving techniques, reaching more than 14,000 students, faculty and staff.”

Zoner also attributed the reaccreditation to the responses CUPD received to a call-in survey this spring, held April 22. The number of respondents to the survey was so high that some reported that they were unable to get through on the phone lines during the time provided. Respondents from the university described the department as being professional, cooperative, proactive and compassionate, emphasizing that CUPD is viewed as being open, transparent and trustworthy. The callers from local law enforcement agencies reported an excellent working relationship with CUPD, highlighting the assistance CUPD gives with training in critical incident responses. Those who could not get through were provided an email address for forwarding their comments.


Outreach to local media, especially in regard to cases of sexual assault and about the development of policies and procedures relating to public information, was also cited as a strength in Cornell Police operations.

Sergeant Dan Murphy serves as CUPD’s dedicated accreditation officer; his primary responsibility is to gather proof of compliance to IACLEA’s standards, update CUPD’s policy manual and keep current with changes in the department’s work and operations.

“Our work is constantly changing,” Zoner said. “We face different specific safety challenges each academic year, laws and protocols change, and the needs of the university change. Like the rest of our academic community, we are in a mode of continuous learning, and that learning must be reflected in our demonstrating, in new ways, how we meet and exceed the public campus safety standards of our profession.”

Zoner will receive the certificate of reaccreditation on Cornell’s behalf at the IACLEA annual conference, June 29, in Louisville, Ky.

IACLEA advances public safety for educational institutions by providing educational resources, advocacy and professional development services to its membership of more than 1,200 colleges and universities in 20 countries.