NEWS RELEASE

An assessor from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), Public Safety Communications Accreditation will arrive February 26, 2018 to examine all aspects of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center policy and procedures, management and operations Sheriff Deryl Loar announced today.

Verification by the assessor that the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to obtain accreditation – a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, he said.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments about the agency by calling 772-978-6139 on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Sheriff’s Office. Local contact is Mark Buffington at 772-978-6163

“The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office has to comply with 213 communication standards and in order to obtain accredited status,” Sheriff Loar said. The fact that the Sheriff’s Office is seeking re-accredited status signifies that an outside board, consisting of communication professionals from different regions of the United States, have thoroughly reviewed the policies, procedures, and performance of the Indian River County Sheriffs Office Communications Center and has found it to be operating in an exemplary manner, successfully addressing the needs and concerns of the community.

The Communications Accreditation Program Manager for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is Lieutenant Mark Buffington. He said the Assessment Team is composed of a law enforcement practitioner from similar but out-of-state agency. The assessor will review written materials, interview individuals and visit the communications center and other places where compliance can be witnessed.

The accreditation assessor is Captain Bradley Fraser of the Shelby Police Department, Shelby North Carolina. Captain Fraser has been involved with the CALEA Accreditation process since 2000.

Once the Commission’s assessor has completed the review of the agency, he will report to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status, Mark Buffington stated.

The agency was initially accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), Public Safety Communications Accreditation on July 25, 2015. This will be the agency’s first re-accredited review for the communications center.

Accreditation is for three years, during which the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Indian River County Sheriff’s Offices ability to comply with the standards for accreditation or for more information, please write to: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352-4225 or www.calea.org.