A Message from Sheriff Gregory Tony:
At the Broward Sheriff’s Office, we strive to exceed all expectations and live up to the highest industry standards so we can provide Broward County with the best, most prepared, and accountable public safety services. I am excited and proud to announce that BSO received final approval for full law enforcement accreditation last month by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA).
As many of you know, BSO lost its accreditation last year due to systemic failures in leadership related to active shooter preparedness and response protocols regarding the 2017 Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shooting and the 2018 tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. While accreditation is not mandatory, it is nonetheless vital in maintaining the high standards of a modern, progressive public safety agency. Accreditation is awarded upon the successful demonstration of excellence in leadership, resource management, service delivery, and adherence to a body of stringent standards, which represent the very best in law enforcement today.
Disappointed in the loss of accreditation, it fueled us as an organization to quickly rebuild the trust and confidence we lost and return to being a model of what a public safety agency should look like. Instead of waiting the full two years to reapply for reaccreditation, I requested an earlier review by the commission, who performed a thorough review and assessment earlier this year. Thanks to advancements in our active shooter training, changes in policy and protocols, investments in technology, and, most importantly, our dedicated employees, the CFA assessors found BSO to be 100 percent in compliance with all mandatory standards. CFA Assessment Team Leader Sgt. Frank Ruggiero further noted, “The Broward County Sheriff’s Office appears to be an excellently managed agency with members that are extremely proud to be part of it.”
In addition, I am honored to recognize the attainment of two additional accreditations earned earlier this summer.
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) recommended BSO’s Regional Communications for reaccreditation. BSO’s Regional Communications is the largest CALEA accredited communications center under the Public Safety Communications Accreditation Program. BSO’s Pretrial Services and Probation divisions also earned full reaccreditation from The Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC) for their compliance with rigorous standards and industry best practices.
In total, BSO holds, or maintains, 16 accreditations across the agency, including the Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Detention, Community Programs, Crime Lab, Biometrics Unit, Training Division, Regional Communications, Purchasing, and Fire Rescue and Emergency Services.
I am proud of the work the men and women of BSO perform daily to protect and serve the Broward community. I pledge to continue to hold our organization to the highest standards. To learn more about our accreditations, please visit us online at www.sheriff.org/Administration/Pages/Accreditation.aspx or call the Division of Policy & Accountability at 954-831-8930.
Service Equals Reward
Sheriff Gregory Tony
Certain Broward cities like Coconut Creek, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Plantation, Davie, Margate, Miramar, Lauderhill, Lighthouse Point, and Coral Springs maintain their police departments; however, BSO does provide communications and dispatch services to the following cities: Central Broward, Cooper City, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, Pembroke Park, West Park, Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Tamarac, Weston and unincorporated West Broward.
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