PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office will be recognized this fall for having received Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs accreditation for both the jail and operations/administration.

This dual accreditation was a first for a state law enforcement agency, the Sheriff’s Office said; no other agency has done both at once.

Official recognition by Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) membership will be at the fall conference in Skamania County.

Although the accreditation was received in May, because of COVID delays and scheduling, the plaques were not delivered until early July.

The jail had been previously accredited in 2017. Clallam County was the first county jail to become accredited since the program was adopted by WASPC in 2016.

The re-accreditation this year required strict continual adherence to 172 standards regarding operation and administration of the Clallam County Jail, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Clallam County Operations and Administration were first accredited under the current standards in 2009 and have been re-accredited every four years since, culminating with a May 21 reaccreditation, the Sheriff’s Office said, adding that achieving this requires adherence to 137 standards.

According to WASPC, the purpose of law enforcement agency accreditation is to professionalize the law enforcement industry by providing a review process for agencies to be certified as operating under industry best practices and standards. In 1976, the association was directed by the state Legislature to develop standards and goals for state law enforcement. The association has maintained an operational accreditation program since that time.