Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
- Flight Unit

Airborne Public Safety Accreditation Commission (APSAC)

What:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Flight Unit was awarded accreditation from the APSA National Accreditation Commission (APSAC).

When:
Accreditation was presented on Friday, July 19, 2019.

Where:
Accreditation was presented at the Airborne Public Safety Foundation Awards Reception in Omaha, Nebraska.

Why/How:
On July 19, 2019, the APSA National Accreditation Commission (APSAC) presented the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Flight Unit a certificate of accreditation.

APSAC presented Major Paul Halle, Sergeant Bryan Smith, and Corporal Paul Rogers, with the award at the Airborne Public Safety Foundation Awards Reception in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Flight Unit was awarded full accreditation with the APSAC Standards for the Operation of Law Enforcement Aircraft.

The APSAC is an entity within The Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) that provides, develops, and maintains standards of accreditation for operations performed by public safety aviation units.

The accreditation process is voluntary and promotes safe, efficient and accident-free aviation operations in support of law enforcement missions. The accreditation program is designed to objectively evaluate and certify a unit’s overall compliance with the Standards as developed by APSAC and adopted by APSA as best practice standards. The process involves a written application, self-assessment, on-site assessment, and commission review.

In addition, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is in the 1% of sheriff's offices nationwide to have received the Triple Crown Award for accreditation. This prestigious award recognizes agencies that have achieved accreditation from three separate accreditation agencies: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), the American Correctional Association (ACA), and the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC). The agency is also accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) for the forensic inspection activities performed by the AFIS Division (Latent Unit), Forensic Sciences Division, and the Forensic Imaging Unit, and now by the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) for activities performed by the Flight Unit.

Currently, only seventeen sheriff’s offices in the United States hold the APSA accreditation and only two in the State of Florida.

The sheriff’s office was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in 1988, the American Correctional Association in 1984, and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care in 1987. Additionally, the sheriff's office adheres to the Florida Model Jail Standards.

The sheriff’s office maintains these accreditations to uphold the highest standards for law enforcement throughout the country.