Sheriff Jim Hammond and the men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announced the HCSO has been reaccredited by the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).
The HCSO was initially accredited by CALEA in 2013 at the directive of Sheriff Jim Hammond to demonstrate the agency’s commitment to professional excellence through ethical and responsible policies and practices.
CALEA accredited agencies must meet very high standards designated by a broad, recognized body of law enforcement professionals.
The process of accreditation and reaccreditation represents the culmination of an agency’s self-evaluation, the review of over 480 policies and standards, and then concluded by a review of independent assessors and CALEA’s Commissioners.
The CALEA Reaccreditation Award is for four years and the HCSO is required to maintain continuous compliance during the award period. CALEA accreditation also represents the HCSO’s acceptance of an ongoing obligation to continue the quest for professional excellence by working towards compliance with all applicable standards and any future standards promulgated by CALEA.
Since the initial accreditation in 2013, public perception of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has continued to improve and the agency has had fewer use-of-force complaints and internal grievances. CALEA accreditation requires transparency and close interaction with the community.
The HCSO is one of only five sheriff’s offices in Tennessee that has been accredited by CALEA.
“I am very proud of the staff in our Accreditations and Standards Division who work tirelessly each day to ensure our agency complies with the directives and standards required to maintain our CALEA accreditation,” said Sheriff Jim Hammond. “The HCSO and our personnel have benefited greatly from the requirements, policies, and information collection required to be a CALEA accredited agency.”