Wed, Aug 07, 2002 The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is now one of only six Sheriff’s Offices in the state of Georgia to receive the status of being state certified. The announcement was made at the Georgia Sheriff’s Association Conference in Jekyll Island, Ga. last week. Richard Darby, Director of the Law Enforcement Agency Certification Program, came to Forsyth County today to make an official presentation to Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton. A presentation was made at Jekyll Island on Wednesday, July 31. That presentation was made by Darby and Georgia Governor Roy Barnes. The presentation was made to Sheriff Paxton, Major Dennis Nelson of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, and Christina Salo, Accreditation Manager for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Forsyth County was the only Sheriff’s Office that received recognition for state certification at the conference. To become state certified the Sheriff’s Office had to meet 114 standards. The criteria included meeting standards for hiring, operations of the agency, training, and administration. For more information on the state certification standards, please see www.gachiefs.com. According to Sheriff Paxton, the state certification stands for five years, with annual reports being filed each year to make sure the Sheriff’s Office is still in compliance. At the end of the five years, the Sheriff’s Office must undergo a recertification process. “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment,” said Sheriff Paxton. “When I became Sheriff, one of our goals was to become state certified. We have met that goal and are focusing now on becoming nationally accredited. “One of the benefits of being state certified and nationally accredited,” Sheriff Paxton explained, “is some insurance companies offer reduced premiums, which of course helps to save the taxpayers some money.” National accreditation status requires much more work, according to Major Dennis Nelson. “We must meet 443 standards to receive what most in the law enforcement world deems as the “masters degree” in law enforcement.” Major Nelson said the agency is at least 12 to 18 months away from completing the national accreditation process. In June, Tony McClung of the Ga. Dept. of Community Affairs and Ellen Black of the Cobb County Department of Public Safety, visited the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to perform an assessment for state certification. The official announcement was not made until last week.
To receive more information on the state certification process, refer to
www.gachiefs.com.
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