ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has received its eighth consecutive accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, receiving the group’s Excelsior Recognition for the fourth time in a row.
CFA said the Excelsior Recognition is the highest level of achievement it awards to some of the finest criminal justice agencies in the State of Florida.
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According to news release, the CFA assessment team spoke highly of the agency during their review. The assessment team leader, Lt. Mark Buffington, told the Sheriff’s Office that it was sone of the smoothest onsite visited he had done in 11 years and would encourage other agencies to tour the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to glean ideas and processes.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office was initially accredited by CFA in 1996.
The National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies also recently presented the Egon Bittner Award to Sheriff David Shoar for his significant contributions to public safety. Shoar will retire at the end of the year after serving five four-year terms as sheriff.
The Egon Bittner Award is presented to chief executive officers who have commanded a CALEA-accredited agency for 15 or more continuous years. Professor Egon Bittner contributed to CALEA’s early development in 1979-80 and was a CALEA commissioner from 1981-88.
“It is a true honor to receive this prestigious award on behalf of the men and women of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is their constant and relentless dedication to our community that make this award possible,” Shoar said in a statement.