HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 787 Offered January 19, 2007 Commending the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office. ---------- Patron-- Gilbert ----------

WHEREAS, the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Timothy Carter, received accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) in May 2006; and

WHEREAS, the VLEPSC accreditation process involves a thorough inspection and review of an agency's policies, procedures, and operations as defined by 180 VLEPSC standards that are divided into four performance areas: administration, operations, personnel, and training; and

WHEREAS, in order to become accredited, the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office had to develop internal procedures to create support documentation showing compliance with each VLEPSC standard; and

WHEREAS, over the course of two-and-a-half years, the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office worked through the many steps in the accreditation process, including developing an agency profile, agreeing to a memorandum of understanding with VLEPSC, reorganizing work space and acquiring necessary computer hardware and software, visiting other accredited departments, attending training programs, creating proof of compliance documents, and undergoing a mock assessment; and

WHEREAS, all the hard work and determination paid off as the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office became the 52nd law-enforcement agency, out of over 417 such agencies in the Commonwealth, to receive VLEPSC accreditation; and

WHEREAS, accreditation is important because it provides standards by which to measure the delivery of services, provides assurance that an agency is trained and functioning in accordance with established policies and procedures, and ensures that there is regular review of an agency's operations; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office for successfully completing the VLEPSC accreditation process; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for its commitment to meet and maintain high standards in serving the people of Shenandoah County and the Commonwealth.