Accreditation Process Begins For Tarpon Police

At around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the Tarpon Springs Police Department welcomed a group of assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation to the department for a static display.

Each branch of the department was on display for the assessors:

• Armored Personnel Carrier
• Crime Scene
• DET/THI/Negotiator
• Dive Team
• FTO
• Mobile Command Center
• Patrol
• SRO
• SWAT/Armorer
• T3/ATV
• Traffic Homicide

Representatives from each branch were on hand to answer questions from the assessors. The representatives were also prepared to demonstrate protocol if the challenge was presented. 

"We ask questions and make sure that they're following their own policies," said Lt. David Rhinehart of Osceola County Sheriff's Office, who was representing the CFA as an assessor.

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Equipment ranging from weapons to bulletproof vests to cameras were organized neatly at each area of the static display. 

Tarpon's Captain Jeffrey Young noted that the department must meet 260 standards outlined by the CFA in order to receive accredited status. A number of the standards are crucial to life, health and safety issues.

The assessment will take place for three days and Rhinehart added that the process can be intense for Tarpon Springs officials. The static display was just the beginning.

Assessors from the CFA will also be riding along with patrol officers during the assessment period, all while recording the department's compliance with everything from management to operations.

According to Rhinehart, the department has been preparing for the assessment for about two years. 

Although there are more than 400 law enforcement agencies around the state of Florida, only 136 are accredited by the CFA.

Once the team of assessors complete their examination, they will report back to the Commission to decide if the Tarpon Springs Police Department will receive accredited status. The accreditation would be for three years.

However, Tarpon Springs Chief of Police, Robert Kochen explained that the approval must be upheld. According to Kochen, the CFA can stop in at anytime for a visit and if the approved standards are not being sustained, the accreditation can be revoked.

"It's not just a piece of paper," Kochen said. "You gotta follow it and more importantly, you gotta live it."