This award, secured after months of review and site assessment by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), means Volusia’s Communications Center is on the path to become one of the best in the country. The accreditation was officially granted virtually in July to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office overall has CALEA national accreditation.

“We now join a very small, select group of communication centers across the country that have demonstrated excellence in several categories,” said Jim Soukup, director of VSO Communications.

Though thousands of emergency communications centers exist nationwide, the VSO’s center joins fewer than 200 nationally accredited centers. The state-of-the-art Communications Center, a $21 million facility that became fully operational in 2013, provides a unified communications service to all public safety agencies in Volusia County. Every 911 and non-emergency call for law enforcement, fire or medical service is handled by the telecommunicators and call-takers at the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center, located on Tiger Bay Road, Daytona Beach.

This is the VSO Communications Center’s first national accreditation.

“Accreditation benefits many: Residents see the recognition and appreciate our efforts to get accredited. Employees gain a sense of pride, knowing we belong to an elite group across the country. And local government officials’ confidence rises in our ability to meet public safety needs,” Soukup said.