The Osceola County Sheriff's Office was awarded top honors Wednesday at the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, receiving the Excelsior status.
Sheriff Bob Hansell and members of the Sheriff's Office accepted the Excelsior Award at CFA's meeting in Innisbrook, Florida.
“Achieving and maintaining accredited status proves the men and women of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office meet the highest standards of professionalism and it is our continued goal to strive to maintain this status,” said Hansell.
Excelsior status is the highest recognition for continued excellence in law enforcement accreditation. This award recognizes agencies that have maintained a long and successful review of their policies and procedures. It takes 15 years to achieve this recognition. For a Florida law enforcement agency to achieve Excelsior status the agency must have received initial accreditation through the Commission, followed by five successful re-accreditation assessments without conditions.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office earned CFA accreditation in 1999 and was re-accredited in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011 and now, 2014. Currently, only 25 law enforcement agencies in the state of Florida have earned Excelsior status.
CFA was created in 1993 to establish professional standards for law enforcement that helps agencies develop and improve their relations with the communities they serve and strengthen the agency's accountability. Accreditation must be sought every three years and is strictly on a voluntary basis. Assessors from CFA check to insure that the policies and procedures of each agency seeking accreditation are compliant with the commissioners 261 standards.