Accreditation team invites public comments about operations of Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office

Assessors representing Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation to begin their work on Oct. 27

Image courtesy Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, a team of assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) will commence an assessment of all aspects of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, including its policies, management, operations and support services, the department has announced.

“Verification by the assessment team that the agency meets the Commission’s 239 standards is part of a voluntary process to be re-accredited, which occurs every three years,” a news release explains. “The assessors will review written directives, interview agency members and observe agency practices via video to verify compliance with these standards,” the release adds.

As part of the assessment, agency members and the general public are invited to offer comments about the ability of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office to meet CFA standards, the release continues.

Comments may be submitted to CFA, P.O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, Fla. 32302, or emailed to flaccreditation@fdle.state.fl.us. A copy of the standards is available by contacting Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Accreditation Manager Sarah Kenniff at 941-861-4056.

The CFA assessment team will be led by Capt. Ryan Marken of the Coconut Creek Police Department. Miriam Simon of the Coral Springs Police Department and Amanda Rubel of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office will be assisting Marken, the release notes.

After the commission’s assessors complete their review, they will report to the full commission, which then will determine whether the agency is to receive its re-accredited status, the release says.

“It is important to note that in addition to this CFA law enforcement accreditation, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office correctional facility is accredited by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC),” the release notes. Additionally, the department’s Emergency Operations Bureau’s Public Safety Communications Section is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) for law enforcement dispatch, and by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) for medical and fire communications.

In September, the Sheriff’s Office’s property and evidence section became the first in Florida to receive accreditation from the International Association for Property and Evidence Inc., the release points out.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office was the first law enforcement agency in Florida to become fully accredited by CFA, the release notes; that was in 1996.