Lori Mizell, executive director of the accreditation commission; Highland Beach Town Manager Beverly Brown,
Lt. Eric Lundberg and Police Chief Craig Hartmann; Eric Aronowitz, department accreditation
and training manager; and Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar, chair of the commission.
Photo provided
By Rich Pollack
After months of carefully reviewing and realigning its practices and policies to ensure they are as effective as possible, the Highland Beach Police Department late in June received a prestigious certification from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation.
The end result is that the department will be better at fighting crime, likely resulting in a safer community, said Chief Craig Hartmann.
“The accreditation is a validation that your agency is being operated as a professional law enforcement agency that meets the same standards that the biggest and best departments in the state meet,” Hartmann said.
Hartmann said that as a result of going through the arduous accreditation process, the department has developed a comprehensive collection of policies and procedures that will serve as a foundation for its operations, not just for now but for many years to come.
“It’s a very involved and in-depth process but a very valuable one,” he said. “It creates uniformity and consistency and is a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of your agency.”
While earning the accreditation, the town’s Police Department examined a variety of procedures. They ranged from hiring and training, use of computers and day-to-day functions to make sure they met the criteria established by the commission as being the best law enforcement practices.
“By becoming accredited you’re making sure your policies, protocols and practices all meet standards set by the industry,” Hartmann said.
He added that because law enforcement is a high-liability, local-government function with unique challenges, many law enforcement agencies of varying sizes are choosing to go through the accreditation process.
“It’s becoming more and more common for agencies of all sizes,” he said.
According to the state commission responsible for the certification, the process not only benefits departments that have attained the high standard, it also benefits their communities and officers.
On its website, the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation says that accreditation helps an agency in its “ability to prevent and control crime through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services.”
The website also states that accreditation can improve the morale of a department’s employees by increasing confidence in its effectiveness and efficiency.
Hartmann said prior to the department’s receiving the accreditation, a three-member team of law enforcement professionals visited the department for three days, inspecting everything from the condition of the police vehicles to the way the department uses computers. Inspectors also accompanied officers on patrol.
“Through the accreditation process, we’re creating the best and safest working environment for our officers and ensuring the best level of service to our residents,” he said.
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