County Commission | The Magazine May 2019 | Page 28

FROM THE COVER
LAW ENFORCEMENT SAFETY
The Alabama Fire College partnered with the insurance programs in 2018, making it possible for
deputies to train on the college’s driving simulator at no cost to counties. The Eva Volunteer Fire
Department in Morgan County played host to a stop in the simulator’s statewide tour, a convenient
training opportunity for Cullman County deputies. The training fulfilled a requirement of the Funds’
Safety Incentive Discount Program.
T
he Funds’ safety initiatives offer a window
into the valuable and productive working
relationships of county commissions
and sheriffs, and many of these initiatives
are connected to the annual Safety Incentive
Discount Program.
“I have tremendous respect for the people
who shoulder the unique and challenging
responsibilities of being a county sheriff – 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a
year,” said ACCA Executive Director Sonny
Brasfield. “Because of the relationships
established with individual sheriffs and their
organization, we can now point to a series of
‘win-wins’ that would not have been possible
otherwise, and citizens benefit because of it.”
It should be noted that, in the context of
insurance, safety means much more than
28 | MAY 2019
just avoiding bodily injury. It also signals
reducing risk to the maximum extent possible,
many times by taking proactive steps to
minimize legal liability. To better address these
challenges, CRS employs Chris Steskal as a
specialized field safety representative for law
enforcement and corrections.
Alabama Jail Training Academy
The Alabama Sheriffs Association, the
National Institute for Jail Operations and the
ACCA have collaborated on the Alabama Jail
Training Academy since 2015. The Academy
provides basic training for correctional officers
through a series of two-day classes.
During the 2017-2018 year alone, 73
officers from member counties earned
certificates for completing the four core