CAMPUS: TAMIU Police Department receives certificate recognizing reaccreditation
By David Perez
Bridge Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, April 23, 2025
TAMIU’s Police Department achieved recertification of its accreditation by the Texas Police Chiefs Association. This would be the second time for UPD, after receiving its first accreditation in 2021.
The significance of the accreditation signifies that the agency follows sufficient law enforcement standards. TPCA sets a total of 173 standards to meet The Best Practices in Law Enforcement accreditation, which examines an agency’s protocols for use of force, protection of individual rights, pursuit, property and evidence management. The accreditation was administered on Feb. 6 and is effective for four years through 2029.
Retired Chief Kevin Lunsford, TPCA program coordinator for the accreditation program, explained the review system, “Every year on the anniversary date, the agency has to submit an annual report to us that shows they are still in compliance with several attachments that come with different analyses and all of that kind of stuff. Then in the fourth year, we go back and do it all over again to make sure that they continue to stay in compliance.”
UPD Chief Cordelia Perez expressed a sense of pride for her department.
“We are the only accredited law enforcement agency in Laredo and Webb County,” Perez said. “Nobody else has that.”
She further said the agency performs a thorough audit.
“We met 170 standards set by [TPCA],” Perez said. “Galveston auditors came to look at the [building’s security], training records for our officers and our dispatch day-to-day operations.”
Lunsford highlighted, “According to [Texas Commission on Law Enforcement], there are about 2,800 different police agencies in the state of Texas, only 218 of them are accredited through us. [UPD] has absolutely met the gold standard as far as this goes. They are amongst the elite for those [who] are achieving accreditation.”
He added that a community benefits from ensuring a more professional police agency.
Perez conveyed gratitude for the current building the police department moved into in 2020. She recounted how the department used to be situated in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library basement and compared it to where they are today.
“We met 170 standards,” Perez said. “I’m very proud of that. Part of [the reason] is because of this building. I don’t know if we would have been here [without it.]”
The current UPD building offers a state-of-the-art surveillance system within its Communication Division where dispatchers work diligently to monitor multiple areas around campus. A demonstration showed how the latest SafeZone app, the emergency software new to TAMIU in Fall of 2024, is expected to alert dispatch to an emergency response on campus.
The accreditation elevates the department’s status and could likely open doors that may allow it to expand in ways that ensure efficiency. Following the reaccreditation, UPD continues to operate in top shape with 22 police officers as well as civilian personnel who work 24/7 to preserve peace and safety on campus. Perez acknowledged that five officers were recently graduated for bike patrol and the department maintains strong relationships with external agencies, such as SWAT, to train and keep her officers prepared.
