Smaller Agencies Setting the Example for Excellence
2011 . Chief Chad Castleberry responded , “ Two reasons . When I was hired in 2006 , I came from a state certified and CALEA accredited agency . I had seen the benefits of the program . Second , the city manager was familiar with the program and was very supportive of us implementing the process ”. Similarly , with 15 officers , Montezuma Police Chief Eric Finch obtained certification in 2004 . He said as a new chief “ I wanted to know the rules . The certification standards directed me as a chief the right ways to do stuff . When I am asked by a council member why do something , I can explain why .” With 11 officers , Pine Mountain is currently the smallest state certified agency in the State . Chief Daniel Ferrone explained he became involved in the certification program because “ It sets us up to a higher standard and we wanted to be more professional . As a new chief , I had issues with the department ’ s policy manual . So , as we did a whole new policy , I knew that certification would guide that process .”
Many tend to focus on the difficulties and obstacles obtaining certification . State certification does not dictate how an agency accomplishes a standard ’ s requirements , just what . Chief Eric Finch said , “ At the time we could not buy some of the required stuff , such as evidence lockers . So , we had to make them . We got some school lockers to serve as our temporary evidence lockers .” Chief Chad Castleberry said one of the big issues for his agency was for officers to develop the right mindset to properly document their actions . Social Circle Chief Willie Brinkley , who leads an agency with 19 officers , agreed “ Getting officers to forward information to the certification manager was difficult .” Braselton Police Chief Terry Esco ( 19 officers ) also said “ It takes a little while to get everyone on board . The hardest thing was getting them to do the reports . But now you can get software to ensure it is done right .” Chief Daniel Ferrone said his department was certified in 2019 . It took the department 1 ½ years to develop and implement the policy and another 1 ½ years to build the files demonstrating compliance .
Once certified , agencies must demonstrate they continue to follow the establish standards every three years . So how hard is it for an agency to follow the certification requirements ? Several chiefs noted participating in state certification can be time consuming . Chief Castleberry advised for chiefs to not procrastinate , “ You have to stay on top of it .” Chief Brinkley said , “ I think it is easy . You have to pay attention to deadlines .” Chief Ferrone said Pine Mountain is a smaller community so “ We don ’ t have a lot of the big city problems with administrative and patrol duties . Everything is low key with our workload , so it does not make it unmanageable .” He added “ You have to want to do it right and stay on top of it .” Chief Finch reported it is not difficult , but recommended chiefs from small agencies go through the certification manager ’ s course , so they know what has to be recorded in the files . When he sees information that needs to be included in the files , he sends it to the manager . While some tend to focus on obstacles , what are the benefits of participating in the program besides being able to claim the agency is state certified ? Chief Castleberry said , “ First it is accountability . Just a sense of accomplishment . I brought the staff on board with the program very early and got their buy-in . So , as we moved through it , everyone was excited about the program and working together . Second was the savings on the insurance premiums .” Similarly , Chief Ferrone reported , “ It ’ s the way the public sees them , accountability of the officers , and the discounts with insurance premiums .” Chief Brinkley added , “ It is how the agency is viewed . The positive overall development the agency because we are complying with high standards . We are transparent in how we do it .” When asked if participating in the program interferes with their decision-making or ability to run
28 WINTER . 2021