Case Number 35                           

When I was appointed Accreditation Manager for the Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office in 1991, I was faced with the same problems and concerns that face most agencies’ processes.  As I trained all of our employees in the accreditation process, I would inevitably be asked the same question, “What does accreditation do for me?”  After only a few training sessions, I expanded the explanation of tangible benefits, and I developed a standard answer for money, “Accreditation may not directly put money in your pocket, but it won’t take it out either!”  As it turned out, it would take several years to prove that very point beyond a doubt.

In January 1998, one of our officers was involved in a police involved shooting resulting in the death of a middle aged woman who was said to have mental problems.  The woman’s family had sought injunctions against the woman to keep her away from their respective homes.  The family cited fear for their lives as the premise for the injunctions.  Subsequently, the woman went to a relative’s home and the police were called to enforce the injunction.  When the police arrived, the woman fled in her vehicle to avoid confronting the police.  Officers followed the vehicle for a short distance, and it was evident that the woman’s erratic driving and disregard for her own safety, and the safety of others, required police intervention.  The woman became cornered in a small cul-de-sac, but instead of stopping, she began ramming a small truck occupied by a man and his young son.  As officers approached the vehicle driven by the woman, she turned her vehicle and drove directly toward one officer who fired two shots in an attempt to avoid being run over.  Both bullets struck the woman, and her life was lost.  We could debate the merits of the shooting as the administrative review board did, but suffice it to say, the shooting was ruled improper.  As one might expect in today’s climate, a lawsuit (twenty million dollars) was filed in Federal Court by the woman’s family on behalf of their loving sister for wrongful death.

The attorney for the plaintiff cited several reasons for the lawsuit, among them: failure of the Sheriff’s Office to review its policies since 1993, failure to train officers in use of force and related policies, and failure to document training.  Naturally, both sides postured with experts and ran the gambit of judicial parlor games.  Our side wanted to avoid the perception of bias, so they opted for an expert from outside our agency.  Our expert spent time with me, and I convinced him and our general counsel to use accreditation and the ample proofs of compliance as the primary defense against the claims of the plaintiff, particularly since we had been accredited in 1992, and the plaintiff’s claims began from 1993.  It was agreed to do so, and both sides prepared for the court date.  Unfortunately, for us, our expert was married and left for Hawaii on his honeymoon the same week as the trial, so a last minute change in plans was formulated, and I was asked to testify in place of the expert.

After explaining the accreditation process in court and detailing how our agency meets the requirements of the standards that directly refuted the plaintiff’s claims, the case was sent to the jury, but not before the plaintiff offered a settlement of nine million dollars, which was refused.  The jury, after a short deliberation, found for our agency and the plaintiff was awarded nothing, not even court costs, or attorney’s fees.  After the trial, the jurors cited accreditation and its requirements as the determining factor for their decision not to compensate the plaintiff.

So, remember when someone asks you, “What does accreditation do for me?” simply reply, “Accreditation may not directly put money in your pocket, but it won’t take it out either!”

Sergeant R. W. “Buster” French, Jr., Staff Inspections/Accreditation
Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office

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