Sheriff Blake Dorning
MADISON-Sheriff Blake Dorning announced today that the Madison County Sheriff’s Office was granted acceptance to seek accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
CALEA is the “gold standard” for law enforcement by allowing for the establishment and adoption of Commission standards for policy compliance. A law enforcement agency has three years to conduct a self-assessment and then will be independently audited by CALEA for compliance to established rules, policy, and directives for the operation of the Sheriff’s Office.
CALEA requires each agency to have a well thought out, comprehensive, and uniform set of written directives that will allow the Sheriff’s Office to reach our operational and administrative goals. CALEA does not tell an agency what to do. However, it does require that if you perform a function or service in your agency-you must have a policy that addresses it. The accreditation provides a framework to build out your agencies rules so they can be updated and modified as needed. Currently our rules, policies and procedures are in a three-ring note book. The accreditation process places this information in electronic files to make them easier to write, update, and disseminate to our employees as needed. Accreditation will help us to establish our “playbook” for the Sheriff’s Office. Accreditation professionalizes law enforcement and will help in reducing liability with regard to policy complian ce.
When granted full accreditation, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office will be the second Sheriff’s Office in the State of Alabama behind Shelby County to achieve this prestigious accomplishment. Currently the Huntsville Police Department is CALEA accredited and the Madison Police Department is currently under CALEA self-assessment.
MEDIA RELEASE/MADISON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/CHIEF DEPUTY DAVE JERNIGAN
