For the first time in the history of the county, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department has been accredited by the state. Sheriff Mike Slupe:
“It’s a great honor to be able to have policies and procedures in place that are standardized in the industry of law enforcement.”
The State Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission recognizes law enforcement agencies from across the state that meet rigorous policy and procedure standards in areas including evidence, fingerprinting, safety, harassment, and hiring.
According to Randolph Cox, Somerset Borough Police Chief and presenter of the accreditation award, very few agencies have made the choice to do the work required as part of this process.
“Less than 10% of Pennsylvania’s law enforcement has chosen to become accredited and that’s a pat on the back especially when the sheriff’s office is not being forced into it or made to do it. They did this voluntarily and it says that right in the proclamation; they’re to be commended.”
The application process for this accreditation began in 2011 but was delayed several times while the deputy in charge of the process was deployed overseas as a member of the armed forces.
