NEWS RELEASE #: 17-147 - JUNE 22, 2017
A team of assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) will arrive Tuesday, August 1, 2017, to examine all aspects of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office including its policies, management, operations and support services.
Verification by the assessment team that the agency meets the Commission's 243 standards is part of a voluntary process to be re-accredited, which occurs every three years. The assessors will review written directives, interview agency members, and visit agency locations so that compliance with the standards can be witnessed.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency members and the general public are invited to offer comments about the ability of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to meet CFA standards. Comments may be submitted to: CFA, P.O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, Florida, 32302, or emailed to info@flaccreditation.org. A copy of the standards is available by contacting the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Accreditation Manager Sarah Kenniff at 941.861.4056.
The CFA assessment team will be led by Sergeant Kevin Engelhardt of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Lieutenants Brian Hester of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and Matthew Fletcher of the Naples Police Department will also be on site to assist.
Once the Commission's assessors complete their review they report back to the full Commission, which then determines whether the agency is to receive its re-accredited status.
It is important to note that in addition to this CFA law enforcement accreditation, the Sarasota County Jail is accredited by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC), and its Emergency Operations Bureau's Public Safety Communications Section is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) for law enforcement dispatch, and the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) for medical and fire communications.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was the first law enforcement agency in Florida to become fully accredited by CFA in 1996.