CASE #13 (Issue #68: September 1998)

Submitted by Sheriff Keith Carr, Sullivan County (Tennessee) Sheriff's Office

 WHY ACCREDITATION?

CALEA accreditation is the cure for complacent, dysfunctional law enforcement practices. As a person ages, they tend to loose fitness and become complacent in activities which, left unchecked, can contribute to gradual decay and eventual dysfunction. Through self-diagnostic methods, the implementation of strengthening programs and self-improvement can usually correct those problems. A thorough physical examination by professionals can further pinpoint shortcomings that the self-evaluation and self-improvement programs missed. Professional advice, if followed, rounds out the recovery of the self-improving individual. Once improved, assessed, and declared fit, periodic checkups are required to maintain a healthy existence.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) offers just such a program through which law enforcement agencies can evaluate, strengthen, improve and maintain their effectiveness. It offers a process of self-evaluation, keeps in check law enforcement activities, procedures and goals, and ensures the continuing stable condition and health of law enforcement agencies.

Before entering the accreditation process, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office had grown ill, over the years, due to a lack of positive growth. As a result, its community services were disrupted and morale was at an all-time low. Work efficiency, at all levels, was poor due to a lack of direction and the agency was near death as a public service institution. Recognizing its deficiencies, the sheriff's office sought help and signed a contract with CALEA, in 1992.

With the onset of the self-assessment phase of accreditation, self-diagnostic activities were conducted using CALEA-specified standards of operation. The agency's shortcomings were discovered and the proper application of restorative programs was initiated. Following CALEA guidelines, a new direction for the agency was developed through written standards of operation. A once-derailed agency was placed back on track by the foresight and willingness of a new sheriff to follow CALEA's self-assessment directions and modify antiquated operating procedures to comply with modern functional ones.

Once the agency concluded its self-assessment, on-site assessors examined the agency operations, found it among the elite, and recommended it receive accreditation. In July of 1995, the Commission concurred with the opinion of the assessors, and the Sullivan County Sheriff s Office became the second accredited sheriff s office in the state of Tennessee. The Sullivan County Sheriff s Office has been accredited through CALEA for three years.

To ensure complacency does not lull the agency back into a decaying, stale and self-satisfied group of unproductive "professionals," the accreditation unit continually monitors operations. This ensures all exercises and programs attempted are in compliance with CALEA standards. When CALEA periodically dispatches assessors to the Sullivan County Sheriff s Office to check its state of wellness, we are confident it will receive a clean bill of health.

A healthy agency is a positive force in community services and certain benefits are evidenced for agency officers and the citizens of the community serviced by accredited agencies. Some of the more visible benefits observed by the Sullivan County Sheriffs Office are:

1) In the law enforcement area of Sullivan County, all major law enforcement agencies are accredited according to CALEA criteria. All these agencies share common principles and methods of operation, thus functioning with a unity of purpose. We operate on common ground with our neighboring agencies to increase the quality of services to our citizens.

2) Agency personnel have direction they did not previously enjoy from such benefits as:

a) Detailed Job descriptions

b) Written agency and personal goals and objectives

c) Detailed general orders and standard operating procedures

d) A grievance address system

e) Accountability

f) Career development and career counseling

g) Security in directed decision-making and

h) Safety in established responses to emergencies.

3) Upon being declared an accredited agency, the County experienced an immediate reduction of 20% per officer in liability insurance premiums.

4) Policies & procedures, developed through CALEA standards, were upheld in court cases where suits were brought against the sheriff's office.

5) Operational methods, adopted to fulfill CALEA standards, led to many community-oriented, law enforcement programs and activities that increased the quality of services:

a) TRIAD

b) Citizens Academy

c) School Resource Officers

d) Victim/Witness assistance programs

e) Community-Relations Program

f) Strong Auxiliary Force

g) Enhanced Reserve Officer Force

6) Internal reorganization and development led to the formation of strategic planning for the agency. The formation of a Planning/Research position, as outlined by CALEA standards, resulted in grant and property acquisition amounting to thousands of dollars annually. Involvement in other community and county agency planning that effects the quality of the agency's operation was also accomplished. We now function according to established goals and objectives which reflect mission statement.

Dedicated leadership and total commitment by the CEO, Sheriff Keith Carr, are key elements in the success of Sullivan County's service operation. Accreditation is the guiding light that is responsible for the agency becoming one of the most respected and admired agencies in the state. Through fulfillment of the principles outlined by CALEA standards, it has become known to neighboring agencies, near and far, as the example of how rural law enforcement should be conducted. Thanks to the direction offered by CALEA, our law enforcement techniques and methods remain abreast of technological developments.

Wellness is more than just a state of mind. It is a condition affecting the whole body. Sickness does not occur in just part of the body but decreases the efficient functioning of the whole. The accreditation process guides agencies through a self-diagnosing, self-healing process leading to soundness in delivery of law-enforcement services. Citizens serviced by accredited agencies are fortunate indeed. More often than not, they recognize, appreciate, and support their law enforcement leaders for caring enough to give them the best and allowing testing of their efforts.

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