On November 11, 2023, the Spalding County Sheriff's Office became the 11th Georgia Sheriff's Office to achieve national accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The CALEA Accreditation program represents acceptance of an ongoing obligation to continue the quest for professional excellence by working toward compliance with all applicable standards and any future standards. It provides public safety agencies with an opportunity to voluntarily meet an established set of professional standards which require comprehensive and uniform written directives that clearly define authority, performance, and responsibilities. Reports and analyses are used to make fact-based and informed management decisions, while standing independent review by subject matter experts, and the continuous pursuit of excellence through annual reviews and other assessment measures.

    Sheriff Darrell Dix, “When I came into office as Spalding County Sheriff in 2017, GACP State Certification and CALEA Accreditation were goals I set for this agency. Since then, we have gone from an agency that had no standard operating procedures or measures of accountability, to reaching both of those goals. We now have policies in place that are recognized as best practices by the law enforcement profession, and proof that those standards and policies are being adhered to.”

    “This long and difficult process was spearheaded by our Accreditation and Certification Manager Capt. Jess Gasaway. She along with Chief Deputy Tony Thomason, our division heads, and every employee of the Spalding County Sheriff's Office worked together and did an outstanding job in gathering information, writing policies, making suggestions, and providing proofs of adherence. These goals were reached because of the of the men and women who make up the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office and their desire to be the best at what they do. I’m proud of them and the work they do every day to make our community safer and this agency better.”

Pictured L-R are CALEA Chairperson/President Marlon Lynch, Chief Deputy Tony Thomason, Sheriff Darrell Dix, Capt. Jess Gasaway, and CALEA Executive Director W. Craig Hartley Jr.

CALEA ACCREDITATION PUBLIC COMMENT PORTAL

The purpose of the CALEA public portal is to receive comments regarding the Spalding County Sheriff's Office's compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide the participating agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.

IMPORTANT: CALEA is not an investigatory body and subsequently the public portal should not be used to submit information for such purposes. Additionally, there will be no response other than acknowledgement to submissions; however, the information will be considered in context to its relevancy to compliance with standards and the tenets of CALEA® Accreditation.

To access the CALEA Accreditation Public Comment Portal, click here. (You will be taken to the CALEA website (https://cimrs2.calea.org).