ESCO's Standard of Excellence

Elkhart County Receives CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence

On November 22, 2014, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office was awarded, for the ninth time, its accreditation award through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) by meeting all the requirements of a highly regarded and broadly recognized body of Law Enforcement Accreditation standards.  During the awards ceremony, the Sheriff’s Office received CALEA’s Gold Standard of Excellence award; which is the highest award given to a Law Enforcement agency. 

The Excellence Award is a symbolic incentive for agencies to employ CALEA Accreditation in a manner that sets the benchmark for public safety professionalism.  The award is structured for the recognition of agencies that have met the following criteria:

• Excellence in the development and implementation of contemporary policies and procedures
• Excellence in the ability to use the CALEA Accreditation process as a tool for continuous organizational improvement
• Excellence in the collection, review, and analysis of organizational data for the purpose of public safety and improvement
• Advocacy for CALEA Accreditation as a strategy for enhancing the professional standing of public safety
• Excellence in addressing the intent of CALEA standards, beyond compliance
• Organizational culture supportive of CALEA Accreditation
• Standards compliance and accreditation process success

The title of Excellence is attached to our CALEA Accreditation status for a period of three years.  The employees of the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office have clearly demonstrated a commitment to professionalism as the first Sheriff’s Office to receive Accreditation in the nation.  CALEA Accreditation has undoubtedly become an institutionalized management model for the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office.

With 30 uninterrupted years of Accreditation qualification, our Law Enforcement Accreditation represents the satisfactory completion of a continuous process of thorough office-wide self-evaluation, concluded by an outside review by a team of independent assessors.  It also represents our ongoing acceptance of the obligation to continue the quest for professional excellence by working toward fulfillment of future standards promulgated by the Commission on Accreditation that may be applicable to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office.