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Community Corner

Forsyth Sheriff's Office Receives Excellence Award

The FCSO is the first sheriff's office in Georgia to receive the excellence award.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office was recently presented with an excellence award by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

The FCSO is also the first sheriff's office in Georgia to receive the excellence award.

“Once again, I am proud of our agency,” said Sheriff Ted Paxton. “In 2001, we began working to become a state certified and nationally accredited agency. I made a commitment when I became sheriff that we were going to create an agency that meets the gold standards of public safety. In 2002, we received our state certification and then in 2003, we received our national accreditation. We have maintained those standards and surpassed them on several occasions. Our accreditation manager, Jim Lockwood, and the men and women of this agency deserve much credit for working towards these standards and maintaining them from year to year.”

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In order to receive the Excellence Award, the sheriff's office had to meet certain criteria and some include:

  • excellence in the development and implementation of contemporary policies and procedures;
  • excellence in the ability to use the CALEA Accreditation process as a tool for continuous organizational improvement;
  • excellence in addressing the intent of CALEA standards, beyond compliance; and
  • organizational culture supportive of CALEA accreditation.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office was awarded its initial state certification in July 2002. In November 2003, the agency received its national accreditation through CALEA. The agency has maintained its state and national accreditation since that time. In November 2009, the agency became the first sheriff’s office in the state to receive the “Flagship Agency” award, which is presented for excellent work. 

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