CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Police Department has achieved a milestone its boss eyed four years ago: It has earned the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation’s seal of approval.
Now, Crestview police officers have immediate access to the department’s standards and policies. Officers know the department’s exact expectations, and they’re comparable with those at other Florida law enforcement agencies.
That’s a goal Police Chief Tony Taylor set in 2012 when he joined Crestview’s force and vowed to bring transparency and accountability to a scandal-plagued department.
THIS IS THE ‘BRASS RING’
In 1993, a Florida statute directed the Florida Sheriffs’ Association and the Florida Police Chiefs’ Association to create a voluntary law-enforcement accreditation program. The Commission for Law Enforcement Accreditation Inc., was formed.
An agency must follow more than 260 standards to earn accreditation, a recurring process that the CPD must apply for every three years.
Cmdr. Andrew Schneider, who was the department’s accreditation manager, said plenty of paperwork was involved during this first effort. “We submitted over 1,170 pages of documentation for the accreditation process,” he said. A recent three-day on-site inspection included verifying what was submitted and interviewing officers.
“This is not just something that is given out,” Taylor said Monday during a news conference at Warriors Hall. “There has been a lot of hard work by the Crestview Police Department. The accreditation is the brass ring for law enforcement agencies and it professionalizes our department.”
CHANGING THE CULTURE
So, why did the process take so long?
“We had to rewrite policy to comply with accreditation and prove that we have remained in compliance with the standards,” Taylor said. “Some of our police policies dated back to the 1990s. The most difficult task has been changing the culture of the Crestview Police Department.”
That culture included a history of corruption among some of its members, which Mayor David Cadle referenced.
“In 2012, I hired Police Chief Tony Taylor to lead the Crestview Police Department, which was then a troubled agency beset with legal and moral issues,” Cadle said during a speech. “His directive was to restore the trust and confidence in our citizens for their police department, establish and update needed reforms for accountability, and cultivate a culture of professionalism among our officers.
SETTING A NEW STANDARD
“Chief Taylor and I both felt that the best yardstick of progress and success would be through the formal accreditation by the Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. Today, I am happy to announce that the CPD has been recognized as a fully accredited law enforcement agency.”
During the event, Taylor introduced the CPD’s new public information officer, Brian Hughes, who added praise.
“This is a tremendous milestone for Chief Taylor. We are very proud of the Crestview Police Department,” Hughes said.
“I want to thank the mayor for his support throughout this process,” Taylor said. “To the community of Crestview, I want you to know that we are holding ourselves to a higher standard and hope to exceed your expectations.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Police Department earns accreditation