According to a statement released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the agency was to undergo a remote, site-based assessment from a team with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc, from Nov. 30 through Dec. 2, 2020, to examine all aspects of policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. Verification by the team that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain re-accreditation — a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence.

This will be the eighth re-accreditation for the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office, which has been CALEA accredited since 1994.

As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community were invited to offer comments to the assessment team by telephone. The comments were limited to 10 minutes and had to address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of the standards was available via the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office records department.

In the press release, Sheriff Jeff Shrader said “The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s CALEA accreditation represents a significant professional achievement for the excellence in service that we provide to our community. To gain this accredited status, our office complies with 459 CALEA standards. Those principles are clearly defined in our daily operations and allow us to work effectively and efficiently in combating crime.”

Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports and participate in annual remote web-based assessments attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.