Accreditation  

Law Enforcement Accreditation

Through its voluntary commitment to the state and national accreditation programs, the Sheriff's Office affirms its strong commitment to the highest standards of professionalism. By maintaining accreditation, it continues to demonstrate its commitment to provide the best, most effective service to the community.

Major factors in favor of accreditation are the control of liability costs and improving community service and officer safety, which reflect a growing trend of advancing professional excellence by accepting and complying with strict standards. This concept has been accepted by public and private entities such as hospitals, universities and other professional fields.

Accreditation Standards are designed to:

• Improve agency effectiveness in the delivery of law enforcement and corrections services.
• Increase law enforcement capabilities to prevent and control crime.
• Increase cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
• Increase citizen and employee confidence in the goals, objectives, policies and practices of the Seminole County Sheriff's office.
• Improve inmate health care, including staff training and security

The standards address:

• Organization management and administration.
• Personnel administration.
• Law enforcement operations of patrol, investigations and crime prevention.
• Training.
• Prisoner and court related services.

Benefits include:

• Accreditation assures employees that every aspect of the agency's personnel system is in accord with state and national standards. By having well-defined policies and procedures (such as those for vehicle pursuits and arrests) accreditation also reduces the likelihood of liability suits while significantly assisting the Sheriff's Office in its risk management.
• Accreditation assures the community that its Sheriff's Office is committed to providing services of the highest quality. Every three years assessment teams inspect it's policies and practices to verify compliance with the commissions' stringent standards.