The Columbia County School District Police Department recently received state certification by successfully completing the Georgia Association Chiefs of Police Georgia Law Enforcement Certification Program.

After a rigorous application and process review, the CCSDPD joins the ranks of only 140 top law enforcement agencies to successfully demonstrate best practices for effective and professional law enforcement.

Out of 700 law enforcement agencies across the state, 41 are school police and the CCSDPD is one of only five of the state’s 180 school districts with certification. Cornerstones of the certification program include professionalism, positive community support, transparency, ethical conduct and more.

As part of the accreditation process, the CCSDPD met a required 141 standards covering nine areas essential to effective law enforcement. Additionally, the typical 36-month process was completed by the CCSDPD in 13 months.