BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Appreciation is wonderful, but what the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office is working toward is accreditation.
Sheriff Gordon Smith said Florida is leading the way with a goal of accrediting all of its sheriff’s offices as a way of showing the rest of the country it can be done.
Accreditation is about making sure the policies, procedures and training are in place to achieve the highest level of professionalism and service.
Smith pointed to incidents around the country involving excessive force and other methods that end up doing more harm than good to individuals, communities and to the reputation of law enforcement agencies.
Instead, accreditation encourages the use of proven practices that work.
For example, Cleveland just updated its policies to prohibit chokeholds. Smith said in his 36 years in law enforcement, that has never been allowed, nor have other potentially dangerous practices like firing warning shots.
While it’s important that every state have the ability to fashion its own set of standards, logic and common sense have to play a part in policing policy, as does self-assessment and accountability. Florida draws upon national standards as well as some that are unique to the state, Smith said.
Standards allow for officer safety and self-defense, as well as the use deadly force when necessary. They also help identify culpability when something goes wrong.
Smith said Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin had a history of complaints on his record prior to the killing of George Floyd, many of which should have resulted in immediate termination. He said unions and their financial support play a role in protecting officers who should be let go. That’s not a problem in his agency.
According to the Florida Accreditation Commission website:
—Accreditation increases the law enforcement agency’s ability to prevent and control crime through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services to the community it serves.
—Accreditation enhances community understanding of the law enforcement agency and its role in the community as well as its goals and objectives. Citizen confidence in the policies and practices of the agency is increased.
—Accreditation, in conjunction with the philosophy of community policing, commits the agency to a broad range of programs (such as crime prevention) that directly benefit the public.
—Accreditation creates a forum in which police and citizens work together to control and prevent crime. This partnership will help citizens to understand the challenges that confront law enforcement. Law enforcement will, in turn, receive clear direction from the community about its expectations. Thus, a common set of goals and objectives will be arrived at and implemented.
—The accreditation process requires an in-depth review of every aspect of the agency’s organization, management, operations, and administration to include:
- establishment of agency goals and objectives with provisions for periodic updating;
- re-evaluation of whether agency resources are being used in accord with agency goals, objectives, and mission;
- re-evaluation of agency policies and procedures, especially as documented in the agency’s written directive system;
- correction of internal deficiencies and inefficiencies before they become public problems;
- the opportunity to re-organize without the appearance of personal attacks.
—The accreditation standards provide norms against which agency performance can be measured and monitored over time.
—Accreditation provides the agency with a continuous flow of distributed information about exemplary policies, procedures, and projects.
—Accreditation provides objective measures to justify decisions related to budget requests and personnel policies.
—Accreditation serves as a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of the agency’s programs and services. The services provided are defined, and uniformity of service is assured.
—Accreditation streamlines operations, providing more consistency and more effective deployment of agency manpower.
—Accreditation assures employees that every aspect of the agency’s personnel system is in accord with professional standards, and that the system is both fair and equitable.
—The agency is compelled to operate within specific guidelines. It is accountable to the commission. The agency must stay in compliance with the standards set forth by the commission in order to retain its accreditation.
—The morale of the agency is enhanced by increasing the employees’ confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of their own agency. Operations become more streamlined and consistent.
—Accreditation standards address officer safety issues and provide for adequate training and equipment of the officers.
—Accreditation is a coveted award that symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and competence. Employees will take pride in their agency, knowing that it represents the very best in law enforcement.
