Accreditation 101
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is certification by an independent authority that an agency meets established professional standards.
Accreditation Management
Proofs of Compliance
Inspections and Audits
Agency Requirement Tracking
Once you become a sergeant, how long do you have to satisfy an agency-approved supervisory program?
Prior to or within 12 months of promotion.
While reviewing a newly issued directive in PowerDMS, you notice an operational mistake in the policy. As a supervisor, what do you do?
A. Ignore it.
B. Complain about it to everyone but the person who can fix it.
C. Contact the Police Program Manager, explain the issue, and provide the correct operational language so the directive can be reviewed and corrected.
C! I have an open door...come talk to me.
What is the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA)?
The Florida organization responsible for establishing law enforcement accreditation standards.
"Grant Manager"
I manage and coordinate grants as the Grant Manager point of contact for the City. I am not the agency's dedicated full-time grant writer.
How often as a sergeant are you required to complete a facility check of the temporary holding facility (jail) and what are you looking for?
Health and Safety of all Prisoners
Daily-
Weekly-
You hear another agency received some really cool equipment through a grant and wonder why our agency doesn’t have it. What should you do?
A. Complain about it in Roll Call.
B. Assume no one here knows about it.
C. Find out what equipment they received and how they got the grant, then bring the information forward so it can be researched as a potential opportunity.
C! Come talk to me, let's figure it out...OR...I can explain why this isn't a realistic opportunity for the agency to pursue.
Agencies must undergo reassessment every ????? years to maintain accreditation.
Three years. We are due in August 2027.
Policy Writing
Reviews agency directives regularly to ensure they remain current with law, accreditation standards, best practices, and operational needs. Directives are reviewed every two years and high-liability policies are reviewed annually.
True or False:
As a sergeant, you will be required to complete personnel evaluations. Supervisors must receive training in the agency’s evaluation system before conducting employee evaluations.
True!
You identify an operational issue within your unit and have an idea for a new process that could improve efficiency or accountability. What is the best way to move forward with implementing your idea?
A. Implement the change within your team without telling anyone.
B. Continue doing things the current way and ignore the issue.
C. Bring the idea forward so it can be reviewed, researched, and developed properly using available resources, including policies and contacts from other agencies.
If something involves policy, process, accreditation, or grants...bring it to me. We’ll figure it out together.
Supervisors are encouraged to bring ideas forward. By coordinating first, the department can review best practices, compare policies from other agencies, and use professional contacts to help develop a well-supported process before implementation. You don’t have to solve every problem alone.
How many mandatory standards must we comply with and what percentage of non-mandatory standards must we comply with to achieve accreditation?
We must comply with all mandatory standards and at least 80% of non-mandatory standards.
Rumor has it! According to many officers, the Accreditation Manager spends her day sitting in an office or is up veryyyy late at night inventing new policies and procedures just to ruin patrol’s shift. True or False?
Absolutely not. I do however sit on committee made up of accreditation professionals that reviews proposed changes to standards and determines how agencies must adjust policies and procedures. We meet three times a year and when accreditation standards change, we often must update policies, procedures, and sometimes create new documentation to prove compliance with this requirement.
When reviewing a report involving a domestic violence incident, what documentation and victim-assistance requirements must a supervisor ensure are completed before the report is approved, and what follow-up action must occur within 24 hours?
Victim’s Rights Information/Brochure Provided
Domestic Violence Information/Brochure Provided
Victim Advocate/Resources Provided
Lethality Assessment Completed
Report Forwarded to a Domestic Violence Center Within 24 Hours
You discover that your unit has been doing something the same way for years, but you’re not sure if it is actually required by policy, law, or accreditation. What should you do?
A. Assume it’s correct because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”
B. Continue the practice without verifying it.
C. Bring the question forward so it can be reviewed against policy, law, and accreditation standards to confirm whether the process is correct or needs to be updated.
C...
A lot of things we do started years ago and just kept going. If you’re not sure why a process exists or whether it’s still the best way to do it, bring it to me. We can review policy, accreditation standards, and look at what other agencies are doing. Maybe we can improve it, modernize it, or determine that it’s an outdated practice that no longer adds value to our agency.
Ok, so why do we do it? Why does accreditation matter?
Who is actually responsible for our agency's accreditation?
You are! Policies don’t get agencies accredited. Practice does. And supervisors are the ones who ensure policy becomes practice.
How frequently are line inspections conducted, and what is the primary purpose of these inspections?
Line inspections are conducted quarterly. Their purpose is to ensure personnel, equipment, and vehicles comply with agency policies, procedures, and professional standards, while also identifying deficiencies that require corrective action.
As a newly promoted sergeant, you are expected to grow as a leader and gain a broader understanding of professional standards and best practices in law enforcement. What opportunity allows you to evaluate other agencies, learn how accreditation works from the assessor’s perspective, and bring valuable knowledge back to improve our own department?
A. Wait until our next accreditation assessment and learn everything that week.
B. Continue asking, “Why do we have to do this?” every time a policy comes out.
C. Become a CFA Accreditation Assessor.
C!
It’s one of the best professional development opportunities you can have. You’ll see how other agencies operate, what works, what doesn’t, and bring those ideas back here.