The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office will be one of eleven agencies in the State of Florida to be accredited by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC), Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc. (CFA) and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).
“It is imperative to set the standards higher in order to benefit the agency, its members, and the community we serve”, stated Sheriff Deryl Loar.
Participation in the accreditation process is strictly voluntary. There are a total of 237 standards. Typically it takes an agency two years to prepare for an accreditation on-site assessment; however, through dedication and persistence, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office was in compliance with all 237 standards in approximately eight months. Every three years the agency must again prove compliance of the 237 standards in order to maintain the accredited status.
The Florida Corrections Accreditation program offers the opportunity to evaluate the facility's operations against standards developed by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission. This process allows administrative staff to remedy deficiencies and upgrade the quality of correctional programs and services. The benefits from such a process include:
- improved management;
- strengthens the facility's defense against lawsuits and complaints;
- increased accountability;
- enhanced public credibility for administrative and line staff;
- a safer and more humane environment for personnel and inmates;
- potential reduction in liability through adoption of sound operating practices;
- demonstration of a "good faith" effort to improve conditions of confinement; and
- establishment of measurable criteria for upgrading programs, personnel, and physical plant
The overall purpose of FCAC is to improve the delivery of correctional services. All aspects of Correctional operations are addressed through the standards, including: Admission, Classification, Housing, Sanitation, Food Service, Personnel Issues, Fiscal Activities, Security, Training and Medical.