Sheriff's office passes review

By BILL VARIAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 3, 2000

INVERNESS -- The Citrus County Sheriff's Office last week received an official endorsement of its crime-fighting efforts by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation.

The Commission -- or CFA -- evaluated the agency for compliance with more than 250 professional standards deemed to be attainable by law enforcement agencies of any size. The evaluation culminated with an inspection by a trio of law enforcement officers from other police agencies in March.

Seeking accreditation by the CFA is voluntary on the part of local law enforcement agencies. It allows those agencies to get a critique from an outside source of whether, in this case the Sheriff's Office, follows modern law enforcement practices.

Winning the accreditation is considered a stamp of approval.

"By choosing to participate in the formal and thorough peer review by the commission, the Sheriff's Office can document to the citizens of Citrus County, and the state of Florida, that it adheres to high standards of professionalism and is among the finest in the state," said Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, in a release announcing his agency's accreditation.

The commission formed in response to a request from the Florida Legislature to create a statewide voluntary accreditation program. The accreditation process began in 1993 with the creation of a task force made up of representatives of the Florida Sheriffs Association and Florida Police Chiefs Association. The commission emerged as the independent reviewing authority.

The Sheriff's Office applied for accreditation in early 1999, and underwent its own internal review afterward of its organization, management, operations and policies. Several policies and procedures were rewritten to conform with commission standards.

The accreditation is subject to review in three years.

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