Anthony Purcell, associate vice president and chief of policeAnthony Purcell, associate vice president and chief of police, has been re-elected to a second term as president of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for 2020. CALEA maintains a body of standards to consistently improve accreditation management in law enforcement.
“It is truly an honor to be re-selected for this role and to represent our UAB Police and Public Safety Department on a national level,” Purcell said.
UAB was first accredited by CALEA in 1995, and it is reaffirmed it every three years. Purcell has been a member of the commission since 2013 and previously served as its treasurer and vice president.
| “It is truly an honor to be re-selected for this role and to represent our UAB Police and Public Safety Department on a national level.” |
“The CALEA Board of Commissioners represents the very best in public safety leadership,” said Executive Director W. Craig Hartley Jr. “It was no surprise to me when Chief Purcell’s 20 peer commissioners fully endorsed his re-election for another year. It is an honor and a pleasure to continue to work alongside Chief Purcell in this role during 2020.”
Purcell has an extensive background in the public safety and policing sectors, beginning with the Durham County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Department in 1983. He held positions as chief of police and director of public safety at North Carolina Central University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and he was deputy chief of police at Georgia Institute of Technology before joining UAB in 2006.
Purcell holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from North Carolina Central University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and other executive programs. Purcell also is a member of several organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and is the former Southeast Region director for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. He is one of the 21 CALEA commissioners representing law-enforcement practitioners from the public and private sectors around the nation.