VSO Again Achieves CALEA Accreditation During Busy 2021

Date Added: November 22, 2021 2:25 pm

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

VOLUSIA SHERIFF’S OFFICE AGAIN ACHIEVES C.A.L.E.A. ACCREDITATION DURING BUSY 2021

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office has achieved Advanced Law Enforcement accreditation for the 10th time, Sheriff Mike Chitwood announced Monday following a months-long, in-depth review of the agency’s policies, procedures and operations by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

At a time of rapid change in law enforcement and the implementation of a newly independent Volusia Sheriff’s Office following Florida’s passage of Amendment 10, this 10th accreditation was a significant one for an agency that has been accredited since 1991.

“This latest seal of approval confirms to me that our Sheriff’s Office is providing some of the best law enforcement service in America,” Sheriff Chitwood said. “The men and women who come to work here every day continue to make me extremely proud, and from what I hear in the community, the residents of Volusia County feel the same way.”

The CALEA accreditation process is designed to confirm the agency is in compliance with a wide range of national performance standards. This year’s review followed a comprehensive restructuring of the Sheriff’s Office after Florida voters approved Amendment 10, separating the elected sheriff’s operations from county government.

In addition to taking over functions in human resources, finance and purchasing that were previously managed by county administration, the Sheriff’s Office reviewed and rewrote its entire policy manual to reflect the new structure and continue to uphold the latest standards in law enforcement.

Separate from the agency-wide accreditation, the Sheriff’s Office 911 Communications Center also achieved its own CALEA accreditation in 2020, marking its first national accreditation since the consolidated dispatch facility became fully operational in 2013. The Sheriff’s Office dispatches every law enforcement, fire, medical and non-emergency call in Volusia County and all of its cities.

Along with the launch of the brand-new Volusia Sheriff’s Office Training Academy and the successful negotiation of a new union contract with increased pay for deputies, the latest CALEA accreditation joins a list of VSO accomplishments in 2021 that includes a Part One crime rate on pace to fall about 12 percent compared to 2020, which was already at a record low.

For more information on Advanced Law Enforcement accreditation, visit CALEA.org, which states in part:

The Advanced Law Enforcement Program is specifically designed for elite organizations striving to demonstrate professional excellence within a comprehensive range of operational and administrative functional responsibilities.

Agencies participating in this program are prepared for the management of life, health and safety issues, ensuring issues ranging from community engagement to sound personnel practices are addressed.

Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation results in a highly performing organization with the capacity to address any operational or administrative challenges, and serve as an industry leader.