Nov. 29, 2016
CWU Police Honored as Department of the Year
The Western Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (WACLEA) recently named Central Washington University’s Police and Parking Services as the 2016 Department of the Year.
The department was cited for demonstrating exceptional, modern, and standard-setting practices throughout the past year. Additionally, WACLEA applauded the department for creating a safe environment for the campus community through its use of innovative techniques, strategies, and community policing principles. The announcement was made during the WACLEA’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon in mid-November.
“This is a great honor for the department, and I would personally like to thank all of them for doing such an outstanding job in keeping our campus safe,” said CWU President James L. Gaudino.
“Our entire team is focused on serving others,” said Michael Luvera, chief of the CWU police department. “We are honored to have continual community trust as we perform our duties as public servants.”
Luvera said the WACLEA, which represents public, private, two- and four-year schools in five states and British Columbia, has an outstanding national reputation in campus policing and safety.
“We’re quite pleased to be selected and recognized for the services we provide and the manner in which we provide those services,” he added.
This was the second honor the police department has received in recent months. In August, two CWU police officers, Captain Jason Berthon-Koch and Officer Todd Ames, received national recognition for their work as longtime instructors in the Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Systems of Self Defense. Additionally, Luvera was named WACLEA’s Administrator of the Year in 2014.
The CWU police department has a staff of 14 officers, four professional staff members and numerous students who support its programs. The department provides police operations 24-hours per day throughout the year and serves more than 9,000 students on the residential campus in Ellensburg.
Media contact: Richard Moreno, director of content development, 509-963-2714, Richard.Moreno@cwu.edu.
- November 29, 2016