DCJS Role
The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) provides support to agencies that are participating in the Accreditation Program. The following resources are available at no cost.
Resources Materials
All agencies may access the Standards and Compliance Verification Manual and the Implementation Guidethrough the DCJS website. The Standards and Compliance Verification Manual contains all of the program standards and offers guidelines that agencies may use when deciding how to demonstrate that they have met all requirements. The Implementation Guide provides an overview of the accreditation process and outlines requirements step-by-step. All available Manuals and forms are available on-line in the Publications and Forms section.
Technical Assistance
Experienced program staff members provide assistance upon request and agencies are encouraged to call whenever there are questions. Staff can help interpret the standards and can offer valuable insight on how other agencies approached various situations. In addition, staff is available to review draft procedures to determine compliance and discuss ways in which a department's unique circumstances might affect the way in which a given standard should be implemented.
Networking
Available on this website is a List of Accredited Agencies, many of which have a link that will take you directly to the agency website where you can get information about the agency, the chief law enforcement officer, and general contact information. In addition, DCJS Accreditation Program staff can provide the names and contact information for agency program managers upon request. Agencies seeking to become accredited are encouraged to network with other agencies that have already undergone the process of becoming accredited. Staff from accredited agencies understand that the early stages of preparing to become accredited can seem overwhelming and, as such, are willing to provide assistance and guidance in terms of how their agency prepared and what lessons they learned when going through the process themselves. Some may go so far as to share their own policies and procedures so that program staff from agencies preparing for accreditation can use them as a reference when developing their own.
For more information, please contact the DCJS Accreditation Program at (518) 485-1417 or OPS.Accreditation@dcjs.ny.gov.
Training
The Office of Public Safety also provides training for agency program managers. This training focuses on the day-today tasks leading to accreditation and incorporates the most useful insights acquired since the program became operational.
Site Visits
A program approved by the council and implemented in January 2015, DCJS Accreditation Unit staff conducts an on-site visit to each accredited agency at least once during the agency’s five year period of accreditation. Site visits are intended to identify potential areas of concern within an agency’s administration of the accreditation program and provide an opportunity for Accreditation Unit staff to aid an agency in the correction of any issues prior to reassessment. During the visits DCJS staff will: conduct a review of a small number of file folders; be available to answer general questions about the program and file maintenance; and provide technical assistance in the event an agency is having difficulty with the administrative portion of the program.