Hollywood Police Department, Florida

Accreditation Manager
Sergeant Lisa Brown

Accreditation Unit Members
Officer Tamyra Edwards

2005 Award for
Re-Accreditation

Background & Goals:

The accreditation process can best be described as"...the bestowing of credentials symbolizing approval from a professional organization upon practitioners or specific institutions. It is a progressive and time proven way of helping organizations evaluate and improve their overall performance."

In 1993, the Florida Legislature passed a Statute encouraging the Florida Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Associations to create an independent voluntary law enforcement accreditation program. This was done in response to a need to ensure the public that quality services are delivered in accordance with recognized and accepted standards.

The Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) which is modeled after the national program (CALEA) requires compliance with more than 250 professional standards designed specifically for Florida law enforcement agencies.

The CFA, established February 9, 1995, has eleven members appointed to the commission. These members are sheriffs, police chiefs, members from city and county governments and court judges. Currently, there are over 50 law enforcement agencies in the State, which are accredited, and over 100 which are in the process of becoming accredited.

The Commission goals are:

Establish and maintain standards that represent current professional law enforcement practices.
Increase effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of law enforcement services.
Establish standards that address and reduce liability for the agency and its members.
Establish standards that make an agency and its personnel accountable to the people they serve.
Establish standards that do not conflict with CALEA.

There are many reasons an agency should become accredited and the following represent a few:

A proven management system which supports decision making and resource allocation.
A thorough review of an agency's status and readiness.
Reinforces the agency's ability to maintain the highest standards of law enforcement services that represent current professional practices.
Maintain a level of services that reflect the community policing philosophy.
Ensures policies and procedures are documented in writing, with clearly defined lines of authority.
Strengthens the agency's defense against lawsuits and complaints.
Assurance that agency personnel are trained and functioning according to established polices and procedures.
Makes it easier for agencies to purchase police liability insurance, increase coverage, with lower premiums.
Increase community advocacy and pride and employee morale through statewide recognition of the agency's professionalism, excellence, and competence.
Assures government leaders of the quality of services delivered by their law enforcement agency.
A quality work environment for well trained professionals that aid in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel.

The Hollywood Police Department's Accreditation Unit was formed on February 1, 2000. After two years of diligent work, the Department was awarded initial Accreditation Status by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) on February 6, 2002. One year later, the Department was awarded “recognition status” on a national level by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)

On February 9th, 2005, after a thorough three day inspection by a Team of Assessors from the Commission for Florida Accreditation (CFA), the Department was recommended for Re-Accreditation. To obtain Re-Accreditation status, the Department had to prove to the Assessment Team that the Department was in compliance for the past three years with 272 established standards or “best police practices”. The Department was also seeking CALEA recognition once again and were required to comply with 95 of their standards as well. The CFA assessors reviewed Department policies, inspected all areas of the Department, interviewed Members from every unit, and rode on Patrol duty with randomly selected Officers. On February 9, 2005, Chief James Scarberry (the Police Chief at that time) and Members of the Accreditation Unit appeared in front of the entire CFA Commission and were awarded official Re-Accreditation status, as well as CALEA recognition, which is valid until February 2008. In the final written report to the Commission, Assessment Team Leader William Brandt from the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, informed the Commission there were NO compliance issues listed, and he praised the Department for several innovative programs, including its Neighborhood Network Centers.

Commission For Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc.
3504 Lake Lynda Drive, Suite 380
Orlando, Florida 32817
Phone #: (800) 558-0218 or (407) 275-4171
Fax #: (407) 275-4174

Benefits:

To The Community:

Accreditation increases the law enforcement agency's ability to prevent and control crime through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services to the community it serves.
Accreditation enhances community understanding of the law enforcement agency and its role in the community as well as its goals and objectives. Citizen confidence in the policies and practices of the agency is increased.
Accreditation, in conjunction with the philosophy of community policing, commits
the agency to a broad range of programs (such as crime prevention) that directly benefit the public.
Accreditation creates a forum in which police and citizens work together to control and prevent crime. This partnership will help citizens to understand the challenges that confront law enforcement. Law enforcement will, in turn, receive clear direction from the community about its expectations. Thus, a common set of goals and objectives will be arrived at and implemented.

To The Chief:

Increases cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies and other branches of the criminal justice system.
The accreditation process requires an in-depth review of every aspect of the agency's organization, management, operations, and administration to include:

establishment of agency goals and objectives with provisions for periodic updating;

re-evaluation of whether agency resources are being used in accord with agency goals, objectives, and mission;

re-evaluation of agency policies and procedures, especially as documented in the agency's written directive system;

correction of internal deficiencies and inefficiencies before they become public problems;

the opportunity to re-organize without the appearance of personal attacks.

The accreditation standards provide norms against which agency performance can be measured and monitored over time.
Accreditation provides the agency with a continuous flow of Commission distributed information about exemplary policies, procedures, and projects.
Accreditation provides objective measures to justify decisions related to budget requests and personnel policies.
Accreditation serves as a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of the agency's programs and services. The services provided are defined, and uniformity of service is assured.
Accreditation streamlines operations, providing more consistency and more effective deployment of agency manpower.

To The Officers:

Accreditation requires that agency policies and procedures are in written form and are available to all agency personnel at all times.
Accreditation assures employees that every aspect of the agency's personnel system is in accord with professional standards, and that the system is both fair and equitable.
The agency is compelled to operate within specific guidelines. It is accountable to the Commission. The agency must stay in compliance with the standards set forth by the Commission in order to retain its accreditation.
The morale of the agency is enhanced by increasing the employees’ confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of their own agency. Operations become more streamlined and consistent.
Accreditation policies address officer safety issues and provide for adequate training and equipment of the officers.
Accreditation is a coveted award that symbolizes professionalism, excellence, and competence. Employees will take pride in their agency, knowing that it represents the very best in law enforcement.