National Law Enforcement accreditation is a voluntary program which was created as a joint venture in 1980 by the International Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriff's Association, and the Police Executive Research Forum. A team of law enforcement professionals then conducts an on-site assessment to determine compliance. The standards deal with issues of policy regarding agency and officer safety, liability, and community involvement. Since 1983, the first year agencies were accepted, just over 400 agencies in the United States and Canada have been awarded accreditation status. Florida, which leads the nation in the number of accredited agencies, has fifty accredited agencies of which 19 are Sheriff's Offices.
Accreditation is the visible sign that an agency has met industry standards for professionalism.
Many agencies receive reduced insurance rates as the insurance industry recognizes that accredited agencies are less likely to be involved in litigation. Accredited agencies are considered to be among the elite in programs and services provided. The first agencies were accredited in October 1996. In 1999, the ACSO was reaccredited on both the state and national level. The dual accrediting of the Alachua County Sheriff's Office is a milestone in Alachua County law enforcement - we were the first law enforcement agency in Alachua County to achieve this.