Department looks to regain accreditation

Published: Friday, April 18, 2014 at 8:17 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, April 18, 2014 at 8:17 p.m.

ORMOND BEACH The citys police department is eager to show the community it has cleaned up its act two years after an audit uncovered problems in its evidence room and that a janitor had stolen items from the city, leading to a loss of accreditation.

A team of assessors representing the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation will be in Ormond Beach this week to determine whether the department will qualify for re-accreditation, Police Chief Henry Osterkamp said.

While the program is voluntary and represents more a point of pride than any effect residents might recognize, the department is looking forward to proving that its professionalism meets the commissions standards, said accreditation manager Brent Hodge.

It sets the standard for the department, he said.

The department was stripped of its accreditation in 2012 after an internal audit found its evidence room in disarray and thefts by a cleaning crew employee, who admitted to taking $3,000 cash and heroin used for training dogs from the evidence room. The audit, which was conducted prior to the re-accreditation assessment, found stockpiled evidence from cases going as far back as the 1970s. The evidence included drugs, guns and biohazardous materials. More than 5 tons of drugs, guns and unclaimed property that should have been purged from the room years before was hauled to an incinerator in Tavares for destruction.

Osterkamp, who was hired as chief in 2010, said the problems had been corrected at the time of the inspection two years ago, but the commission declined to give the department accredited status.

It was their decision based on what happened, he said.

Hodge said some of the changes made within the department in the wake of the internal audit include installing an alarm system for the evidence room. Two new technicians were hired and are the only personnel with access to keys to the evidence room. Janitorial work in the room is done only during daytime hours with a police officer present.

To regain accreditation, the department will have to comply with about 273 standards. Once the assessors complete their report, they will report back to the law enforcement commission, which will make the final determination, Hodge said. In addition to having the status as an accredited agency, the process has helped officials develop uniform policies and procedures for the entire department to follow.

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Department looks to regain accreditation