Henry County Police Officer Joins State Professional Standards Board

Officer Joe Hencely of the Henry County Police Department was elected by the membership to the Board of the Georgia Police Accreditation Coalition on Friday, October 19, 2012. GPAC is a professional association of policing agencies dedicated to leadership in meeting organizational objectives for compliance in national accreditation and/or state certification. Accreditation and certification independently acknowledge agency policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.Chief Keith Nichols’ support of the assignment is based on the respect he has for fellow board agencies and his personal assessment of Officer Hencely’s suitability to the position. “I am aware of the outstanding reputations of other GPAC Board member agencies and feel honored that we are considered among them. Officer Hencely has an excellent work ethic and has done a tremendous job as our agency's accreditation manager.  Officer Hencely has a solid command of the administration of our certification program and combined with the above attributes will be a great asset to the board.”

Officer Hencely guided the Henry County Police Department to its recent initial state certification in 2010. Maintaining certification is a full-time job as there are 129 agency-wide standards to continuously uphold with timely written documentation. Agencies are expected to live by the letter and spirit of the standards in compliance with their written directives, policy and practice. The agency must consider its mission, its legally mandated responsibilities, and the demands of its service to the community in determining how it will comply with applicable standards. Standards are based on all operational and administrative policing functions ranging from personnel to communications to support services.The standards provide a detailed blueprint for enforcement that is credible, realistic, and effective.

Officer Hencely’ s GPAC board election puts the Henry County Police Department at the forefront of professional policing practices in the State of Georgia. A board comprised of field level accreditation and certification managers has as its base those who are actually applying the standards and are instrumental in achieving them. The public can feel confident that the agency is employing independently proven standard practices at the line level and in their communities at large.

Officer Hencely is a 24-year law enforcement professional, all in Henry County. He has served long- or short- term assignments including patrol and field training officer in the Uniform Patrol Division, Domestic Violence Unit, Internal Affairs, and Accreditation/Certification. He is a 20-year Navy Reservist, retiring as a Master-At Arms in executive service to the unit commander. He was awarded the Sailor of the Quarter designation, three Navy Achievement Medals, and the Joint Taskforce Achievement Medal for outstanding performance. Additionally, he was activated in 2001 in response to the terror attacks of 9/11, and served his country in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Officer Hencely resides in Henry County. He looks forward to continued service to his hometown on the GPAC Board by bridging the collective best practices of other Georgia policing agencies with the exemplary service of his fellow officers at HCPD.

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