Friday, February 15, 2002
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Friday, February 15, 2002 |
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Tyrone PD passes muster for state accreditation By JOHN
MUNFORD Tyrone residents can now say they have one of the best "little" police agencies in Georgia. The Tyrone Police Department has received accreditation from the Georgia Police Accreditation Coalition. Tyrone, with its 11 officers, ties Tybee Island for the smallest department in Georgia to have achieved state accreditation. The process certifies that Tyrone's department meets a slew of guidelines, many of which are above and beyond the normal requirements for law enforcement agencies. The guidelines cover the entire gamut of police functions, from how evidence is handled to how records are kept. The department's standard operations manual went from a regular notebook to a "very thick, massive notebook," said Police Chief Roger Spencer. Spencer said everyone in the department pitched in along with other city employees. Spencer said he was extremely proud of the department's efforts, which began back in January 2000 under former police employee Ben Thomas, who served as accreditation manager. Spencer said he didn't use a full-time employee to oversee the accreditation process simply because he didn't feel comfortable taking an officer entirely off regular patrol duties. But the combined effort of all the officers factored into accreditation being granted, particularly because some officers "picked up the slack on the streets so we could finish up," Spencer said. Sgt. David Mullis will become the department's accreditation manager now that Thomas has left to become assistant police chief in Hapeville. Mullis will be in charge of making sure the department complies with all the requirements to maintain the certification, Spencer said. "It puts us up with the big boys now," Spencer said.
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