What is Accreditation?

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Accreditation is best described as a collection of standards that are considered to be "best practices" for the operations of a law enforcement agency.  These standards are set by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc. and covers a wide spectrum of every aspect of how law enforcement operates.

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The process for becoming accredited is lengthy, spanning the course of three years of reviews that look at an agency's policies and procedures, compliance with requirements, and an in-depth look at the agency's operations.  During this initial process, agencies must ensure that their specific policies are within the guidelines set forth by the standards put forth by SCLEA, as well as updating any policies and procedures that may be out of compliance.

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Once an agency becomes accredited, the process doesn't end there!  In order to maintain accreditation status, the agency must continually review it's policies and procedures to ensure that they remain in compliance with the standards as they evolve, document compliance with each and every standard, and complete various annual requirements to ensure compliance with the standards.  Every three years, SCLEA audits the agency to determine if they will renew the accreditation.