The Professional Standards Section is a component of the Office of Professional Compliance, which is a staff function within the Office of the Sheriff. The primary mission of the Professional Standards Section is to maintain the agency’s seven (7) professional accreditations. The section is composed of two units: The Accreditation Unit and the Property/Evidence Unit. Both units perform very different but vital services for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The Professional Standards Section is managed by the agency’s Accreditation Manager, a law enforcement Lieutenant, and is staffed by one (1) Secretary, and one (1) Clerical Assistant who assist the Lieutenant, Sergeant, and other members as required.

Accreditation Unit

The Accreditation Unit is staffed with of four (4) Inspectors, who are responsible for ensuring that the agency maintains compliance with all the applicable professional standards of each accreditation process. At present, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is a “Seven Star Accredited” agency. Upon the request of an accrediting body, members of the Accreditation Unit also serve in the capacity of accreditation assessors for other law enforcement agencies throughout Florida, and the United States.

The Accreditation Unit is also responsible for reviewing and maintaining the agency’s written directive system, e.g., General Orders, Department Directives, Division Procedures and all forms used by the agency. All publications and agency forms are extensively reviewed for compliance with all applicable accreditation standards before being disseminated to agency members.

Property/Evidence Unit

The Property/Evidence Unit is staffed with one (1) Sergeant, eight (8) professionally trained Property/Evidence Officers, one (1) part time Clerical Assistant, and three(3) part time Paraprofessionals. The members of the Property/Evidence Unit are responsible for the security, integrity, and accountability of all property/evidence that has been submitted to the Property/Evidence Unit for storage, pursuant to agency policy and Florida law. At the present time, over 194,000 items are being maintained in the property/evidence storage facilities.

The Property/Evidence Unit utilizes a state of the art computerized bar coding and record-keeping system in order to maintain the security and accountability of all stored property/evidence. The Property/Evidence Unit is also responsible for the disposition of property/evidence in accordance with agency policy and applicable Florida State Statutes.