02-27-2009, 12:10 PM
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement completed the process to attain accreditation and received recognition for this achievement today in a ceremony in Tampa. The division voluntarily pursued this coveted status.
By becoming an accredited agency, the FWC's Division of Law Enforcement becomes the largest natural resource law enforcement agency in the nation to achieve this level of distinction, and joins an elite group of fish and wildlife enforcement agencies that have successfully completed the accreditation-assessment process.
Florida law enforcement accreditation is certified by an independent reviewing authority, the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). A law enforcement agency must meet or exceed more than 250 prescribed standards. An assessment team conducted on-site inspections of the division's policies, procedures, practices and equipment to determine compliance.
"This tells the public that we have been evaluated by law enforcement subject-matter experts who certified our compliance with best management practices," said Col. Julie Jones, director of the division. "Though we receive validation of our professionalism every day from citizens whom our officers have helped, this extra validation makes it official."
In 1993, Florida Statute 943.125 directed that the Florida Sheriffs' Association and the Florida Police Chiefs' Association create a voluntary law enforcement accreditation program.
"In an agency where the officers multitask in so many environments, and conduct themselves so professionally, it may come as a surprise to many that the FWC's Division of Law Enforcement was not accredited," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC. "We have always been proud of our law enforcement division, and now that the division is accredited it has again exceeded our expectations."
Receiving the endorsement demonstrates a commitment to professional excellence and increases the division's ability to fulfill its mission of protecting natural resources and people through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services to the community it serves. Because the division is scrutinized by an outside entity, accreditation requires transparency and accountability. To maintain accredited status, the division will continue to critically assess how its mission is being carried out and will be re-assessed by the CFA every three years.
"Achieving accredited status confirms the professional nature of our division and its reputation as a progressive law enforcement agency," Jones said. "It validates we are among the very best."
Media Contact
Carol Pratt (850) 251-2212
By becoming an accredited agency, the FWC's Division of Law Enforcement becomes the largest natural resource law enforcement agency in the nation to achieve this level of distinction, and joins an elite group of fish and wildlife enforcement agencies that have successfully completed the accreditation-assessment process.
Florida law enforcement accreditation is certified by an independent reviewing authority, the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). A law enforcement agency must meet or exceed more than 250 prescribed standards. An assessment team conducted on-site inspections of the division's policies, procedures, practices and equipment to determine compliance.
"This tells the public that we have been evaluated by law enforcement subject-matter experts who certified our compliance with best management practices," said Col. Julie Jones, director of the division. "Though we receive validation of our professionalism every day from citizens whom our officers have helped, this extra validation makes it official."
In 1993, Florida Statute 943.125 directed that the Florida Sheriffs' Association and the Florida Police Chiefs' Association create a voluntary law enforcement accreditation program.
"In an agency where the officers multitask in so many environments, and conduct themselves so professionally, it may come as a surprise to many that the FWC's Division of Law Enforcement was not accredited," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC. "We have always been proud of our law enforcement division, and now that the division is accredited it has again exceeded our expectations."
Receiving the endorsement demonstrates a commitment to professional excellence and increases the division's ability to fulfill its mission of protecting natural resources and people through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services to the community it serves. Because the division is scrutinized by an outside entity, accreditation requires transparency and accountability. To maintain accredited status, the division will continue to critically assess how its mission is being carried out and will be re-assessed by the CFA every three years.
"Achieving accredited status confirms the professional nature of our division and its reputation as a progressive law enforcement agency," Jones said. "It validates we are among the very best."
Media Contact
Carol Pratt (850) 251-2212