Village police up for renewal of state accreditation

By Ron Beasley….
The Pinecrest Police Department recently received its international reaccreditation certification, but now must stand again for inspection by the state compliance board.

Police Chief John Hohensee says two assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation will visit Pinecrest on Nov. 10 to look over his department’s records and conduct interviews with personnel, this on the heels of the department recently receiving international accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

“They will be with us throughout the day to verify our compliance with 85 Florida specific standards,” said Hohensee. “The program is called comparative compliance because they recognize that CALEA accredited agencies already have demonstrated excellence in policing and compliance with 400-plus standards. So we only have to show and demonstrate compliance for 85 of the Florida standards.”

Hohensee said the state assessors will scrutinize the Village police department’s operation, talk with employees about how they conduct their business and look at documentation in the files.

“Then sometime in December we hope to be awarded our reaccreditation certificate for the Florida program,” said Hohensee.

State reaccreditation happens every three years and the upcoming inspection marks the third time that the Pinecrest department has undergone the procedure, but just the second time for recertification.

“We feel it is important to do both accreditation programs because the Florida program was designed for and by Florida law enforcement practitioners,” said Hohensee. “Things that may not be applicable in other areas of the country are addressed in these standards.”

The Pinecrest Police Department is one of only three law enforcement agencies in Miami-Dade County accredited through both CALEA and the FCLE.

“It is a time and labor intensive process to go through the accreditation process,” said Hohensee. “But we are fortunate that we have had the support of our Village Council and Village Manager that we become accredited and maintain that accreditation.”

Hohensee says accreditation by a recognized program has long been viewed as a means of maintaining high standards of professionalism.

Interested parties may write the Florida Commission for Law Enforcement Accreditation at 3504 Lake Lynda Drive, Suite 380, Orlando FL 32817 or call 800-558-0218.


Connect To Your Customers & Grow Your Business

Click Here