Sheriff Joseph N. Hanna announced that the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office was officially awarded state accreditation following a unanimous vote from Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at a formal meeting held on July 20, at the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Annual Conference.

The office’s accreditation status was officially announced in September.

Hanna said one of his immediate goals when he took office was to work toward obtaining Pennsylvania State Accredited Certification for the sheriff’s office.

Hanna reported that the vigorous process of accreditation began during the first year he took office in 2016. The sheriff’s office completed the process on April 8, following a complete top-to-bottom review of the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office, which included preparatory and official on-site assessments by the Pennsylvania Police Chief’s Association.

Hanna reports that in an effort to comply with all the necessary requirements of accreditation through PLEAC, his office had to develop policies and procedures and demonstrate daily compliance with the hundreds of professional law enforcement standards and substandards. Those standards have been adopted by the PLEAC Commission under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

Hanna expressed his gratitude for the overall commitment of personnel throughout the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office, who not only embraced the concept of accreditation, but practiced it during their daily operations and services to the public.

Hanna reports that he is humbled that the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office is now a part of an exclusive group of 134 accredited law enforcement agencies in the commonwealth. He noted that of the 67 sheriffs offices and departments in the state, the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office is the sixth sheriff’s office to attain accreditation.