(12/12/2008)

Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office Earns State Accreditation

Sheriff Dennis B. John proudly announces that the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office has joined a select group of police agencies statewide to receive accreditation from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Accreditation Council Chairman H. Lloyd Perkins and DCJS Deputy Commissioner John Bilich presented the accreditation to Sheriff Dennis B. John in Albany, NY on Thursday December 4th.
Sheriff John states “The Accreditation process has been very demanding on members of the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s members should be very proud to have been a part of this process and achieve this goal. “

In 1989 the State of New York became the first state to establish a formal law enforcement accreditation program to help police agencies evaluate and improve their overall performance. It provides formal recognition that an organization meets or exceeds general expectations of quality in the field. Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of policies that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.

The Accreditation Program is comprised of 132 standards and is divided into three categories. Standards in the Administrative section have provisions for such topics as agency organization, fiscal management, personnel practices, and records. Training standards encompass basic and in-service instruction, as well as training for supervisors and specialized or technical assignments. Operations standards deal with such critical topics as high-speed pursuits, roadblocks, patrol, and unusual occurrences.

In Cattaraugus County, the process began when Sheriff John assigned Investigator Christa Heckathorn as accreditation manager.

“The residents of Cattaraugus County should be assured that their Sheriff’s Office is continually striving for the highest standards in Law Enforcement and Public Safety” states Sheriff John.