A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will soon examine all of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office policies, procedures, management practices, operations, and support services. The examination will be the last step in the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office desire to receive law enforcement Accreditation. The review period will be from December 15 and continue through December 19, 2007.

“We voluntarily applied for Accreditation, which signifies our desire for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to be one of the best law enforcement agencies in the country. To accomplish this, 459 rigorous standards must be met which demonstrate our use of the latest and most up-to-date procedures to keep Deputies and the public as safe as possible,” said Sheriff Luttrell.

As a requirement to satisfy the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Division for Accreditation, Sheriff’s Office employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public session on Monday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m.

The session will be conducted at the Sheriff’s Office Training Academy Lecture Hall, located at 993 Dovecrest in East Memphis. Persons unable to attend the evening session may still talk with members of the Accreditation review team by phone earlier that day. The number is (901) 545-3497 and will be answered on December 17 between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Citizens may also write to the CALEA Commission at:

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
10302 Eaton Place
Suite 100
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-2215

The review team will be comprised of three former and current law enforcement officers:

• Lieutenant Colonel Darrel Stilwell (retired) Virginia State Police (Team Leader)
• Inspector Clyde Hedrick, Manatee County Florida Sheriff’s Office
• Commander Michael Nolan, Clark County Washington Sheriff’s Office

“The team will review our written policies and procedures, interview members of our staff and visit various Sheriff’s Office bureaus. The CALEA Commission will make its determination about our receiving Accreditation in March 2008,” says Jim Wilson, Director of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office CALEA Bureau.

The Accreditation certificate is valid for three years, during which the Sheriff’s Office must submit annual reports to document continued compliance with the 459 law enforcement CALEA standards.

The Shelby County Jail men and women divisions received Accreditation certificates during the past two years from the American Corrections Association. The ACA, similar to CALEA, requires agencies to meet hundreds of security and safety standards. The Accreditation designations for the Shelby County Jail facilities were the first ever in the history of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.