Bedford sheriff's office accredited

by Patrick Lynch

BEDFORD -- The Bedford County Sheriff's Office soon will be one of only a few departments in Virginia to meet the highest standards of efficiency and professionalism.

Adter a review process lasting more than a year, the sheriff's office will receive accreditation this September from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

Accreditation is not a necessity, but at the request of individual departments the commission will do an inspection, and if the department meets its standards, give it accreditation.

Bedford will become the ninth accredited sheriff's office, out of 125 in the state, according to Ernie O'Boyle, the VLEPSC program coordinator.

O'Boyle said 10 police departments have met the commission's standards.

The commission was founded in 1993 with the mission of raising the standards of law enforcement in Virginia, but did not begin accrediting departments until January 1996.

About 130 law enforcement agencies, of 350 in Virginia, have tried for accreditation, O'Boyle said.

O'Boyle said the commission tests each department against 211 "standards of professionalism."

The standards range from administrative duties to practices in the field.

"The number one benefit of the process is that it forces self-inspection," O'Boyle said.  he said before applying for accreditation, a department must take a hard look at its operation and make improvements on its own.

"The second benefit is that it gives definitive guidelines," for officers and deputies to follow in their practice of law enforcement.  The more aware officers are of strict guidelines for action, O'Boyle said, the less chance an officer will cause a problem in the field.

Sheriff Mike Brown said he made accreditation a goal for the sheriff's office upon being elected in 1996.