Bedford County Sheriff's Office Earns Accreditation in 2005

BEDFORD - The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office has again been accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

Note: Pictured right are Gary M. Dillon - VLEPSC Program Coordinator, Bedford Sheriff Mike Brown, Sgt. Ben Rea - Bedford SO Accreditation Manager, VLEPSC Commissioner - Chief James Bryant and VLEPSC Commissioner - Sheriff Gerald Holt.

To be accredited, a law enforcement agency must show that it adheres to 180 standards, said Gary Dillon, the commission’s program coordinator. The standards outline how the agency should handle a wide variety of tasks from weapons training to hiring personnel to conducting criminal investigations and more. “It’s a great accomplishment to say you can do that and everybody as a whole team can do that,” said Sergeant Ben Rea, accreditation manager for the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.

During the accreditation process, a team of three assessors appointed by the commission examines documents the agency gathers to show it complies with the 180 standards, tours the agency, rides along with officers and inspects equipment, Dillon said. The accreditation is good for four years, after which the commission will again examine the sheriff’s office. “It requires you to inspect your agency on a regular basis,” Dillon said.

The sheriff’s office was accredited in 1999. In September 2004, it voluntarily withdrew from the program because it did not have the necessary documents ready to renew its accreditation. “It was our decision to step out that day,” Rea said. The sheriff’s office then was required to wait another year before again being eligible for accreditation. Dillon said the commission has accredited 51 of Virginia’s law enforcement agencies.