Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is pleased to announce that the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Crime Scene Unit (CSU) is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation in the Forensic Inspection field. The agency received its official notification of the ISO 17020-2012 accreditation on Tuesday, February 25, after completing a rigorous process of review covering procedural compliance, assessment, and training that started over four years ago. To accomplish this goal, the SCSO CSU policies and procedures were built, including the writing of quality and procedures manuals and Standard Operating Procedures. The adherence to these processes brought the lab into compliance. Additional training educated members on the accreditation process and how it applies to the CSU. All CSU members received training to ensure an understanding of how and why accreditation applies to the unit’s operations.