Who: 
Pinellas County Sheriff Office
Professional Standards Bureau
-Policy Development and Accreditation Division

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)

What:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office was awarded reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.

When:
Reaccreditation was awarded July 30, 2016.

Where:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is located at 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo. Reaccreditation was awarded in Baltimore, Maryland.  

Why/How:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office was awarded reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) last week in Baltimore, Maryland.

CALEA auditors visited the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office from March 1 to 4, 2016 and wrote a detailed report submitting their findings to the accreditation commission. The CALEA commission later convened and for the ninth time granted meritorious reaccreditation status to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Sean Jowell, Commander of the Professional Standards Bureau Captain Ray Whiteley, and Commander of the Policy Development and Accreditation Division Lt. Stacey Barrentine, represented the Sheriff’s Office and accepted the accreditation on July 30 before a panel of CALEA commissioners who reviewed the report.

The accreditation process is a proven management model and a blueprint for self-improvement, which strengthens accountability, both within the agency itself and externally throughout the community.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has been accredited since 1988 and is one of less than 30 Sheriff Offices in the United States (there are over 3,100 Sheriff Offices nationwide) to have received the Triple Crown Award for being CALEA, ACA (Corrections) and NCCHC (Corrections Healthcare) accredited.  Reaccreditation now occurs every four years.

(Left to right) Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. Executive Director W. Craig Hartley, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Sean Jowell, Commander of the Policy Development and Accreditation Division Lieutenant Stacey Barrentine, Commander of the Professional Standards Bureau Captain Ray Whiteley, and CALEA Chairman Richard W. Myers, at the CALEA reaccreditation presentation on July 30, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland.