Assessors commend agency for ‘ten flawless onsite visits in a row’
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has been re-accredited by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA), Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman has announced.
The agency received its official notification during the Commission’s general meeting on Oct. 5 in Sanibel, a news release notes.
In August, a team of assessors from the Commission evaluated many aspects of the Sheriff’s Office’s operations, including its policies, management, operations, and support services, the release points out. The assessors determined that the Sheriff’s Office is in compliance with all 235 applicable standards, the release adds.
Moreover, in their recommendation for re-accreditation, the assessors “commended the agency for ten flawless onsite visits in a row,” and for the agency’s receipt of the Excelsior Award for the fifth time.
The Commission explains that the Excelsior Award was created to recognize criminal justice agencies in Florida that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the Florida accreditation process. The Commission adds “that the Excelsior Recognition program became the highest level of achievement in Florida accreditation a criminal justice agency can receive.”
“To ensure superior agency practices, review by outside professionals and compliance with professionally accepted standards is necessary,” Hoffman said in the release. “Since being the first agency in Florida to become fully accredited in 1996, we consistently push not just to meet but exceed expectations.”
In addition to this CFA law enforcement accreditation, Sarasota County’s Correctional Facility is accredited by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC), while the facility’s medical services are accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), the release notes.
Further, the agency’s Public Safety Communications Section is accredited for law enforcement dispatch by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the release continues, while the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) accredits the agency for medical and fire communications.
The agency’s Property and Evidence Section is accredited by the International Association for Property and Evidence (IAPE), and, finally, the drug lab received its accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), the release points out.