In January, a team of assessors from the Mississippi Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (MSLEAC) conducted an on-site assessment at the Forrest General Hospital Campus Police Department to ensure compliance with the Mississippi State Standards and The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Standards. This assessment resulted in accreditation for the Public Safety Department as a Law Enforcement Agency, conferring all rights and responsibilities associated with that designation.
Wayne Landers, Director of Forrest General’s Public Safety Department, noted “A combination of two things helped us achieve this prestigious goal – support from the Administration and a tremendous effort by the men and women of the Department of Public Safety.” Officer Jimmy McInnis added that this recognition is “another giant step forward in continuing to provide a safe and secure environment at Forrest General.”
Law enforcement agencies seeking to be accredited by MSLEAC and recognized by CALEA are required to comply with 123 professional standards in order to achieve state accredited and CALEA recognition status. The assessors reviewed agency policies and practices, interviewed personnel, and closely examined files kept by the Forrest General Campus Police Department specifically in regard to state accreditation and CALEA recognition.
“An achievement like this makes a good department even better,” said Lieutenant Charlie Sims. “We have a committed group of officers who agreed to take on this challenge in addition to their regular duties, and as a result we are one of only 11 departments in the state who have received this recognition.”
Pictured with the department’s certificates are, from left, Officer Jimmy McInnis, Sergeant Owen Bass, Chief Wayne Landers, Lieutenant Charlie Sims, Officer Rob Robinson and Sergeant Rocky Hartfield.
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