Sheriff’s Office Seeks Re-accreditation Status At Summer Calea Conference In Schaumburg, Illinois

NARRATIVE:  The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office will be seeking re-accreditation status on Saturday, July 26, 2014, at the summer CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois.  Sheriff Richard Meyers and members of his command staff will attend the committee review hearing and awards presentation ceremony.  The conference is being held at the Hyatt Regency, 1800 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg.

The Sheriff’s Office conducted their CALEA on-site visit October 28-30, 2013.  During that process, CALEA assessors visited the Sheriff’s Office to examine all aspects of the Agency’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.  Verification by the team that the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain and maintain accreditation and international recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

In addition, special recognition will be paid to Sheriff Meyers as he will receive the Egon Bitner Award.  The Egon Bitner Award is presented to Chief Executive Officers who have commanded a CALEA Accredited agency for fifteen or more continuous years.  It was created to recognize these leaders for their significant contributions to the public safety profession and to CALEA.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office received original accreditation in March, 1994, and has maintained this status through 6 subsequent awards.  Internationally, less than 1000 public safety agencies possess accreditation status—the Sheriff’s Office is the 295^th agency to attain this achievement.