Lavonia Police Receive State Certification

Lavonia’s Police Department has received its third State Certification from the Georgia Association of Chief’s of Police.

The Lavonia Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in the five-county Northern Judicial Circuit to be State Certified and one of just 110 law enforcement agencies in the state to be State Certified.

“State Certification is a program Georgia law enforcement agencies may enter into if they so choose,” Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said. “Those who participate in the program agree to go by 139 standards that are proven standards of excellence and professionalism in the field of law enforcement.”

The standards, Carlisle said, are taken from national accreditation programs.

“State Certification protects the officers, protects the city, it protects the citizens by providing services that are proven and have held up in litigation,” Carlisle said.

In order to achieve state certification, officers must undergo training, such as active shooter training, as well as take other classes on an annual basis.

“The biggest issues are high liability force, such as use of deadly force and things of that nature,” Carlisle said. “We make sure officers receive the highest standards of training in all of those areas.”

Carlisle, who sits on the board of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police said a major concern now is the increase in school shootings.

“We are constantly focused on improving our active shooting training so that we are ready in the event of an incident here,” he said.

The Lavonia Police Department has received State Certification every five years since 2001.