The Benedictine University Police Department has been awarded “First Place” in the College/Campus Police category of the 2014 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge sponsored by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) Traffic Committee.
Benedictine University is a private school located in a suburb of Chicago. The Roman Catholic university has 3,825 enrolled undergraduate students.
This is the second time in three years the Benedictine Police Department has been awarded first place by the ILACP in the organization’s traffic safety challenge. The department achieves its goals through high visibility, traffic education and diligent enforcement, among other ways.
The department also believes that traffic enforcement and crime deterrence go hand-in-hand. The combined efforts of the Benedictine police, the campus Emergency Response and Recovery Team and safety-conscious faculty, staff and students have consistently made Benedictine one of the safest universities in the state and country, according to campus safety and security reports filed with the U.S. Department of Education.
Several of the Benedictine Police Department’s crime prevention, crime reduction and community policing initiatives have been recognized by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, which invited Police Chief Mike Salatino to speak on the topic of campus safety at a conference of state officials, law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners held in May in Naperville.
The Benedictine Police Department was established in 2006 and was the first private law enforcement agency in Illinois to receive accreditation through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP).
Benedictine police officers collectively have more than 200 years of law enforcement experience and training, are Illinois-certified and have full police powers including arrest. Their mission is to provide resources to ensure a safe campus environment and improve the quality of life within the University community.
