Accreditation
Orientation
HIGHLANDS COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
What is Accreditation?
The bestowing of credentials
symbolizing approval from a
professional organization upon
practitioners or specific
institutions.
Acronyms
• CFA:
The Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation
• FCAC:
The Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission, Inc.
• FLA-PAC:
The Florida Police Accreditation Coalition
• CJSTC:
The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission
• FMJS
Florida Model Jail Standards
• JTA:
Job Task Analysis
• FCIC:
Florida Crime Information Center
• NCIC:
National Crime Information Center
The Process
• Application
• Self-Assessment
• Mock Assessment
• On-Site Assessment
• Commissioner Review
• Maintaining Compliance
Application
The Sheriff’s Office must submit an
application to the Commission to participate
in the state accreditation process.
Self Assessment
The object of the self assessment is to ensure
that Sheriff’s Office members are adequately
prepared to meet the requirements of
accreditation. This includes the review and
interpretation of standards, collection of
necessary documentation, and implementation
of required audit procedures.
Detention
Facility’s
FCAC Mock
Assessment
2010
On-Site Assessment
The Sheriff’s Office requests an on-site assessment
when the accreditation manager believes the Sheriff’s
Office has met or exceeds the compliance levels
required for accreditation.
Depending upon the accreditation three or more
assessors may be selected. Most assessments are
conducted over a three day period.
The first day of the on-site assessment usually begins
with an entrance interview with the Sheriff,
Accreditation Manager, and other Command Staff to
discuss the scope of the assessment and the
schedule of activities.
2008 Static Display
On-Site Assessment
(continued)
Following the entrance interview, the assessors will
take part in a variety of activities including a Sheriff’s
Office tour, interviews, and a review of the
accreditation files. The file review is the most labor
intensive of these activities.
Prior to leaving the Sheriff’s Office, at the conclusion
of the assessment, the assessment team will conduct
an exit interview with the Sheriff, the Accreditation
Manager, and other appropriate Command Staff to
discuss the results of the assessment and all findings
of non-compliance and other issues.
Commission Review
The second to the last step of the
accreditation process is the panel
review. A panel of Commissioners are
appointed to review the assessment
report and clarify any remaining issues.
2008 CFA Panel Review
Sheriff’s Office Representatives at the 2008 CFA Panel Review
2011 FCAC Panel Review with Sheriff’s Office Representatives
Commission Review
After completing their review, the
commission
panel
will
make
a
recommendation to the full commission
to award or deny accreditation to the
Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s Office Representatives Receiving Official CFA Accreditation
June 2008
Sheriff’s Office Representatives Receiving Official FCAC Accreditation
February 2011
Maintaining Compliance
and
Reaccreditation
In order to maintain its accredited status, the Sheriff’s
Office must apply for reaccreditation and repeat the
five step accreditation process from the beginning.
During the three year period following the commission
granting the Sheriff’s Office accreditation, the Sheriff’s
Office submits annual certification reports confirming
continued standard compliance at levels necessary for
accreditation.
Maintaining
Compliance and Reaccreditation
(continued)
• Requires continued participation by all
Sheriff’s Office members.
• Requires compliance with policies (G.O.’s,
SOP’s, etc.)
• Requires documentation to be complete and
accurate.
• Review of policies and approval prior to
changes/updates.
Status Boards help you
monitor your progress during
your assessment periods.
Law Enforcement
Accreditation
CFA – 276 Standards, 153 Mandatory
Mandatory standards deal with life, health,
and safety issues; legal matters; and law
enforcement practices; or conditions that
reduce high liability exposure.
Standards that are “other-than-mandatory”
address current law enforcement practices or
good business practices. The Sheriff’s Office
must comply with at least 80%.
CFA Accreditation Chapters
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Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
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Organization
Authority
Written Directive System
Use of Force
Part-time Sworn &
Auxiliary Members
Chapter 6 - Civilian Volunteer
Program
Chapter 7 - Fiscal Activities
Chapter 8 - Classification and
Delineation of Duties
Chapter 9 - Off-Duty an d Extra-Duty
Employment
Chapter 10 - Grievance Process
Chapter 11 - Conduct & Disciplinary
Process
Chapter 12 - Recruitment
Chapter 13 - Selection Process
Chapter 14 - Training
Chapter 15 - Promotions
Chapter 16 - Performance Evaluations
Chapter 17 - Field Personnel
Chapter 18 - Investigations
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Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 22
Chapter 21
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
• Chapter 28
• Chapter 29
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Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
- Juvenile Operations
- Unusual Occurrences
– Traffic Law Enforcement
– Special Operations
– Traffic Crash Investigations
– Traffic Direction & Control
– Traffic Ancillary Services
– Criminal Intelligence
– Misconduct Complaint
Process
– Public Information
– Prisoner/Detainee
Transportation
– Holding Areas
– Court Security
– Civil Process
– Communications
– Records
– Evidence
– Property
– Infectious Diseases
– Forfeitures
– Interview Rooms
Corrections Accreditation
FCAC – 241 Standards, 97 Mandatory
Mandatory standards deal with life, health, and safety issues;
legal matters; essential correctional practices; or conditions that
reduce high liability exposure.
FCAC Standards are derived primarily from the Florida Model
Jail Standards.
Standards that are “other-than-mandatory” address current
correctional practices or good business practices.
The Sheriff’s Office must be in compliance with at least 90% of
the applicable “other than mandatory standards”.
FCAC Accreditation Chapters
• Chapter 1 – General Administration
• Chapter 12 – Programs
• Chapter 2 - Written Directive System
• Chapter 13 – Clothing and Bedding
• Chapter 3 - Fiscal Services
• Chapter 14 – Sanitation and Hygiene
• Chapter 4 - Personnel
• Chapter 15 – Food Service
• Chapter 5 - Training
• Chapter 16 – Direct Supervision Jails
• Chapter 6 - Security and Control
• Chapter 7 - Order and Discipline
• Chapter 17 – Admission, Classification,
and Release of
Juveniles
• Chapter 8 - Special Operations
• Chapter 18 – Juvenile Housing
• Chapter 9 - Admission,
Classification, and
Release of Adults
• Chapter 19 – Medical Section
• Chapter 10 – Inmate Housing
• Chapter 21 – Public Information
• Chapter 11 – Privileges
• Chapter 22 – Physical Plant and Safety
• Chapter 20 – Pharmacy
Benefits to Members
• Clearly defined lines of authority
• Consistency in operational procedures
• Provides a quality work environment
• Increases member morale through
statewide recognition
Benefits to the Sheriff’s Office
• Strengthens the Sheriff’s Office defense
against lawsuits and complaints
• Review of Sheriff’s Office status and
readiness
• Possible reduction in insurance
liability
• More efficient use of limited resources
Benefits to the Sheriff
• Ensure general orders and procedures
are documented and defendable
• Assurance members are trained
according to the Sheriff’s general
orders and procedures
• Increases availability of decisionmaking information
• Increased confidence in the Sheriff’s
ability to lead the organization
Benefits to the Community
• Increased confidence in the Sheriff’s
Office ability to deliver quality service
• Improved community and Sheriff’s
Office interaction
• Efficient use of enforcement tax dollars
• Better trained members
Written Directives
• General Orders
• Standard Operating Procedures, Plans,
Rules and Regulations
• Special Orders
• State laws
• Mutual Aid Agreements
Examples of Supporting
Documentation
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Budget Documents
Correspondence
Inspection Records
Interviews
Job Descriptions or JTA’s (Job Task Analysis)
Lesson Plans
Logs and Records
Meeting Minutes
Memorandums
News Articles
Observations
Performance Evaluations
Photographs
Reports
Rosters
Training Records
Proof Guidelines
For initial accreditation, proofs for existing
policies should demonstrate compliance for
the twelve month period prior to the onsite.
Proofs for policies issued during the selfassessment phase should demonstrate
compliance from the date of the policy.
For reaccreditation, proofs should reflect 3
years of compliance.
Member Accreditation
Responsibilities
Review your General Orders with special
attention to your area of assignment.
Be prepared to answer questions posed by the
Assessors. They may ask specific questions
concerning your individual responsibilities
within your area of assignment as well as
questions about the Sheriff’s Office general
orders.
We must be able to prove
that what we say we are
doing --WE ARE DOING!
Achieving and maintaining
accreditation is not the
work of one individual, it
involves the efforts of the
entire Sheriff’s Office.
Accreditation is never
ending. It is an ongoing,
daily process.
Thank you for your
cooperation and support
of the Accreditation
Process.