DELAWARE — Gov. Mike DeWine announced the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) was one of 14 agencies to recently complete the Ohio Collaborative Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (OCLEAP) this past February.
This marks the third accreditation for the agency and its first state recognition, with two national accreditations previously achieved.
The state established OCLEAP in 2024 to recognize agencies that excel in professional conduct, bias-free policing, crisis intervention and community engagement, with the first agencies receiving accreditation in 2025.
“It’s everything from how we write reports, how we interact with victims, how we respond to different types of incidents, anything and everything — training is also a very big part of it,” Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said.
Balzer applied at the encouragement of Dublin Police Chief Justin Páez. Dublin PD earned OCLEAP accreditation during the program’s first round.
“Attaining accreditation through this program is a prestigious achievement,” DeWine said in a statement.
“Those living in communities served by an accredited department can be confident that their local law enforcement agency demonstrates exceptional professionalism and meets Ohio’s high expectations for excellence in public safety services.”
DCSO’s national-level achievements
DCSO first became nationally accredited in 2024 through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
A key difference between some of the national accreditation programs and Ohio’s is that agencies have to expend funds to apply, travel to conferences, etc. for the national programs.
Ohio has the only state-administered program in the country that does not charge law enforcement agencies to apply, according to the governor’s website.
“[Achieving CALEA’s accreditation] was quite an accomplishment for the sheriff’s office,” Balzer said.
“We had been striving towards that for a number of years, and we’re one of a handful of sheriff’s offices in Ohio that’s accredited.”
CALEA accredited DCSO’s law enforcement work for its commitment to developing and professionally delivering public services, but the agency is also top-notch in another area.
The Delaware County jail achieved the American Correctional Association’s (ACA) accreditation in 2024. It is also one of five county jails in Ohio that is compliant with the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
Through commitment to public safety, human dignity and evidence-based practices, ACA promotes excellence in correctional management, according to the organization’s website.
“Any sheriff worth their salt knows that the biggest priority for his office, and biggest liability for his office, is the jail,” Balzer said.
“Everything you can imagine from medical care for the inmates to the food they get, the recreation they have, mental health; [we went over] everything and reached and exceeded the standards.”
In Balzer’s opinion, if officials don’t run a jail properly, people could sue and win money from Delaware County and inmates could get out and commit crimes again.
The next accreditation
Balzer said the city of Troy’s department has been accredited by CALEA since the mid 1990s. The sheriff asked some of Troy’s officers what made them start applying for accreditation.
“For Troy, being accredited, holding themselves to the highest standards, [Troy officers said] that’s just what we do as part of the fabric of who we are,” Balzer said.
“I said, I want to be like Troy.”
Balzer wants to continue holding his staff to the highest standard and weaving this ideology into his office’s fabric.
DCSO is aiming to achieve more accreditation for the jail in the near future, this time from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC).
“This is the highest level certification, and the reason I want to do this is because a lot of issues that happen in the jail involve medical,” Balzer said.
“Most people don’t think of it this way, but if you’re out and about and you’ve got a job, a family, hopefully you’re taking care of yourself.
“You’re going to the doctor or you’re going to the dentist on a regular basis. Well, that’s not the case for people that end up in jail.”
Balzer pointed out how a lot of folks come into his custody “off the street,” are in serious medical need at times and that his team is required by law to care for them.
“We want to make sure the company we as taxpayers are paying, is doing the absolute best job in the jail to make sure these folks are safe while they’re in our custody,” Balzer said.
