FWC Office of Inspector General undergoing reaccreditation assessment
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Office of Inspector General Internal Investigations Section is undergoing a Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (Commission) assessment to retain state-level accreditation. The OIG received its initial accreditation in 2013 and was reaccredited in 2016 and 2019. Accreditation is part of a voluntary process completed every three years, which recognizes professional excellence in the field. The reaccreditation assessment will examine all aspects of the OIG Internal Investigations Section, including looking at policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services.
“The Office of Inspector General is dedicated to maintaining FWC’s accountability, efficiency and integrity,” said FWC Inspector General Mike Troelstrup. “We are excited to participate in this assessment and look for ways to improve our services so we can better respond to issues and concerns about our agency’s practices and policies.”
As part of the assessment, agency members and the general public are invited to offer comments to the assessment team. A copy of the standards is available through the Commission’s website and the public is encouraged to submit comments. People who wish to provide public comment may do so by visiting the Commission’s website at Flaccreditation.org. A team of assessors from the Commission will conduct an on-site assessment of the OIG in April.
The OIG must comply with 46 standards to be accredited by the Commission. All the standards are mandatory, such as requiring investigative staff to abide by a code of ethics, follow procedures for the release of information to the public in accordance with Florida Statutes, and members, including the Inspector General, adhere to strict guidelines when conducting internal investigations of agency members and contractors.
On April 21, a team of assessors from the Commission will be on-site at the FWC Office of Inspector General to examine all aspects of the office to ascertain continued compliance to maintain accredited status. Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the OIG, they will report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the FWC OIG is granted reaccredited status. The FWC OIG’s reaccreditation, if approved, will be for a 3-year term.