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| DKSO ACHIEVES LAW ENFORCEMENT REACCREDITATION |
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AWARD SYMBOLIZES 'SQUEST FOR PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE'
Decatur, GA – The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) has notified Sheriff Thomas E. Brown that the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has earned reaccreditation. Receipt of the official accreditation certificate this month marks the third time that CALEA has accredited the agency.
“It is a privilege to advise you that your agency has met the requirements of a highly regarded and broadly recognized body of law enforcement standards,” CALEA Chair James, M. O’Dell and Executive Director Sylvester Daughtry announced in a letter to Sheriff Brown. “[Reaccreditation] represents your agency’s ongoing acceptance of the obligation to continue the quest for professional excellence . . . . “
“This award demonstrates our continuing commitment to the highest standards of operation. And, as we begin the New Year, it reaffirms our dedication to maintaining this agency’s status among the most well-respected law enforcement organizations in the country,” Sheriff Thomas Brown said.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office achieved its initial CALEA accreditation in July 2000 and was first reaccredited in July 2003. It was the fifth sheriff’s office in the state to attain this symbolic badge of honor. The current award follows an on-site assessment August 19 – 23, 2006, and accreditation hearings and training during the CALEA conference held November 15 -18, 2006, in Reno, NV.
CALEA evaluated three divisions of the Sheriff’s Office: Field, Court and Administrative Services.
The Field Services Division, commanded by Major Jeffery Cato, is DKSO’s law enforcement arm and consists of several units: The Fugitive Unit apprehends and extradites fugitives from justice. Sheriff’s deputies serve warrants for murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, kidnapping, child molestation, rape and other crimes. The Domestic Violence Unit (DVU)
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is involved with the apprehension of persons charged with acts of family violence and serves Temporary Protection Orders (TPOs) issued by the Superior Court. DVU deputies also provide emergency transportation to shelters for battered
women and their children and provide safety assists in court-ordered domestic violence spousal evictions.
In addition, the Field Division is responsible for transporting inmates to jails, medical, mental health and detention facilities. This division aggressively maintains the county’s Sex Offender Registry.
The Court Services Division, commanded by Major Peter Osei-Kwasi, provides security for the DeKalb County Courthouse complex and for Superior, Probate, Juvenile, Recorders and Magistrate courts. Court Division deputies protect more that thirty judges in the various courts, as well as citizens and employees who enter the buildings. Annually, Court Division employees process and serve more than 8,000 civil processes/documents generated by DeKalb County’s courts, U.S. District Courts, and Superior Courts throughout the United States. This division also monitors the activities of bonding companies serving DeKalb County.
The Administrative Services Division, also commanded by Major Cato, provides five areas of support to the overall operations of the Sheriff’s Office, including human resources, serving approximately 700 employees, fiscal affairs, supply, information systems, and mail processing.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs' Association, and Police Executive Research Forum created the accreditation commission in 1979. Their purpose was to establish and administer an accreditation process through which law enforcement agencies could demonstrate voluntarily that they meet professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery.
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