The following is an article from the Venice Gondolier , July 1999, reprinted with permission. Last week, the Venice Police Department did something above and beyond the call of duty. It made the grade. Inc. For the average citizen, it may not sound like much. But for those who understand law enforcement, it is quite an undertaking.
Accreditation is a process that sets minimum standards for law enforcement agencies.
It usually is conducted by a national commission that is paid big bucks to examine a department. Examiners conduct on-site inspections, culling more than 260 policies ranging from training, to personnel management, to the handling of evidence from a criminal investigation. Each and every policy was minutely examined in order to make certain the agency governed by that policy is operating to the best of its abilities with the resources at hand. Simply, the process makes a better law enforcement department, not one that is just leaner and meaner. Venice Police Department chose a newly-formed state commission, Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc., to conduct its accreditation process.