GOSHEN – Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois and his Command Staff honored one of their own on Monday for his role in maintaining the agency’s accreditation with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Investigator Hector Hernandez has been awarded the New York State Division Of Criminal Justice Services “John Kimball O’Neil Certificate of Achievement”, in recognition as program manager for the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.
DuBois recognized Hernandez “for his significant contributions toward assisting the agency in, once again, receiving accreditation,” said DuBois’ office.
The award is named after DCJS staff member John Kimball O’Neil, who died suddenly in 2005. John joined the staff of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services in 1990 and worked primarily on the accreditation initiative. In April 2004, John’s hard work and dedication resulted in his promotion to be the supervisor of the Division’s accreditation workgroup.
O’Neil was a Captain in the United States Army and subsequently worked for several law enforcement agencies. His 32-year career in policing included service with the Capitol Police (Albany, NY), the Winooski (VT) Police Department, and the Fort Lauderdale (FL) Police Department. In 1989, John was placed on permanent disability leave from the Ft. Lauderdale P.D. following several line-of-duty injuries.
According to DCJS, “Accreditation is a progressive and contemporary way of helping police agencies evaluate and improve their overall performance. It provides formal recognition that an organization meets or exceeds general expectations of quality in the field. Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of policies that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.”
Sheriff DuBois and his staff also acknowledged Stacey Hosking on the completion of her probationary period and assignment to permanent status as the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Fiscal Manager, assisting command staff overseeing and managing the agency’s $80 million operating budget.
