The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Assessment Team has awarded the Board of Education Police Department recertification for the next three years. In accordance with policies and practices for the Georgia State Certification Audit, the SCCPSS Police Department was recognized as meeting the requirements consistent with progressive professional standards at a ceremony on February 7th. Local law enforcement from fellow agencies throughout Chatham County attended the ceremony.  Chief Bill Kirkendall of the Hinesville Police Department presented a plaque recognizing the accomplishment.

State Certification is an accreditation process fostered and created from a collaborative effort of the GACP, Georgia Sheriffs Association, Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST), Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), and Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. A committee of representatives from senior law enforcement, government officials and POST created a comprehensive set of 129 model policies, and management and operational standards for Georgia law enforcement agencies. Every three years, a team of randomly selected auditors, who are specially trained and experienced Law Enforcement Officers, visit certified agencies to inspect and review every policy and conduct a thorough examination to ensure their practices mirror their policies. Currently, there are only about 125 agencies in Georgia that have achieved this high level of standards.

“Certification is a progressive and time-proven way of helping law enforcement agencies calculate and improve their overall performances,” said Chief of Campus Police Terry Enoch. “Recertification fully demonstrates that we are committed to law enforcement excellence and 21st century policing. We are modernizing and adapting our methods and procedures to meet the evolving needs of our students, faculty and staff, as well as our school families. Our goal remains keeping all 38,000 students and all 5,600 employees on over 55 campuses and sites safe at all times.”

Certification status represents a significant professional achievement. Certification acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.