SHERIFF ANNOUNCES ON-SITE ASSESSMENT TO SEEK CONTINUED NATIONAL ACCREDITATION

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will be undergoing the process of national re-accreditation in December. A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), will arrive in the Florida Keys on December 11, 2016 to examine all aspects of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.

“This assessment is a voluntary process to gain and maintain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday December 12, 2016 starting at 4:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters building, second floor conference room. The address is 5525 College Road, Key West, Florida 33040.

If an individual is unable to appear or speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comment to the assessment team, he or she may do so on an unrecorded telephone. The public may call (305) 809-3044 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, December 12, 2016.

“Accreditation inspires public confidence in our agency, as well as assuring our department is up-to-date on police initiatives and administrative practices,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has to comply with 482 standards in order to maintain accredited/recognized status.

The assessment team is comprised of public safety practitioners from similar, but out-of-state agencies. The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other locations where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are: Team Leader Deputy Chief Patricia Garrison of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office located in North Charleston, SC and Team Member Ms. Melissa Manrow of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office located in Decatur GA.

Once the CALEA assessors complete their review of the agency, they report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited/recognition status.

The Accreditation/Recognition is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.