Recognition comes from Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission during Oct. 9 ceremony
The Sarasota County Correctional Facility has been re-accredited by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC), Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman announced on Oct. 22.
Recognition of the honor came during an Oct. 9 ceremony in Sanibel, a Sheriff’s Office news release says.
“Jail policies, management, operations, and support services were scrutinized by assessors over a three-day onsite visit in August,” the release explains. “The assessors praised the agency for a flawless onsite visit, its tenth in a row,” as they found that the facility complied “with all 256 applicable standards required for re-accreditation,” the release added.
This accomplishment earned the Sheriff’s Office “the commission’s prestigious Excelsior Award for the fifth time,” the release pointed out. “The commission also complimented the agency on the number of correctional facility programs offered” that address mental health, substance abuse, “and in particular, the veterans assistance program,” the release added.
“It is critical for us to be reviewed by our peers and to meet professionally accepted national and state standards to ensure best practices within our agency,” Sheriff Hoffman said in the release. “The hard work of our Corrections Operations and Services Bureaus does not go unnoticed,” he continued. “We are proud of them, and they should be proud of the work they have done to be recognized for this achievement.”
The release also points out, “The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) correctional facility was the first in the state to become fully accredited,” in 1998.
“The correctional facility’s medical services are accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC),” the release notes. “Additionally, SCSO is accredited by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA), the Emergency Operations Bureau’s Public Safety Communications section is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) for law enforcement dispatch, and the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) for medical and fire communications. The agency’s Property and Evidence Section is accredited by the International Association for Property and Evidence (IAPE), and lastly, the drug lab received its accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).”