Delco Sheriff's Office Gets Accreditation For 3rd Time

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — The Delaware County Sheriff's Office has earned accreditation by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, officials said Tuesday.

Sheriff Jerry L. Sanders Jr. and his office are among the small percentage of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania to have been voted to have accreditation.

The commission unanimously voted for the office's accreditation.

This is the third time that the office has earned this distinction, and the second time since Sanders first took office in early 2018.

To determine if a law enforcement agency will be awarded accreditation, the commission conducts a thorough analysis to determine if the office’s current policies comply with the program’s 139 standards, and on-site reviews of agency files are conducted by trained assessors to ensure compliance with those standards.

The commission found the office to be meritorious and worthy of accreditation.

Accreditation has many benefits, including:

• Improvements in law enforcement/community relations
• Increases employee input, interaction, and confidence in the agency
• Reduces agency risk and exposure to lawsuits
• Decreases liability insurance expenditures
• Extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials
• Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency
• Identifies and highlights the capabilities and competence of the agency
• Furnishes a solid foundation for the agency to build upon for further progress

In all, more than 375 agencies have enrolled since the program’s inception in 2001, and only 131
agencies currently maintain accredited status — including just six sheriff’s offices in the state and eight of 51 law enforcement agencies in Delaware County.

The Delaware County’s Sheriff’s Office’s accreditation was announced during the Pennsylvania
Chiefs of Police Association's annual banquet in July 2021, and accreditation status will remain valid for a three-year period with annual reports required.