Cherokee Sheriff's Office Awarded Re-Accreditation

CANTON, GA — The Cherokee Sheriff's Office has been re-accredited for the eighth consecutive time by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the department said Wednesday on its Facebook page.

The agency initially gained accreditation by the organization in 1996 and has maintained the distinction that first award. CALEA is the nationwide accrediting body that exists to improve the delivery of public safety services by maintaining a credible and best-in-class body of standards.

Through an extremely collaborative effort, CALEA provides public safety agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards and processes for decision-making. The level of compliance involving hundreds of standards is verified by a team of independent out-of-state CALEA-trained assessors.

Along with its re-accreditation, the sheriff's office also earned the prestigious Advanced Meritorious Accreditation with Excellence Award through the Gold Standard process. This award is given to less than 1 percent of law enforcement agencies across the country who have to meet or exceed more than 480 standards outlined by CALEA.

Established in 1979 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriffs' Association and the Police Executive Research Forum, CALEA is recognized internationally as the key credentialing authority for law enforcement agencies. For more information, visit www.calea.org.

Image via Cherokee Sheriff's Office