National Sheriffs' Association

The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to increasing professionalism in the criminal justice community. Although there is a decided emphasis on the office of sheriff, the organization is more diverse than its name suggests. Membership is open [Page 797]to the law enforcement community at large as well as concerned citizens and corporate entities.

Since its inception in 1940, the NSA has offered many services to the criminal justice community. Today, the organization has grown to approximately 20,000 members, who participate in a wide variety of organizational activities ranging from receiving the monthly Sheriff Magazine to obtaining liability insurance at a reduced rate. The most valuable of these services seems to be the large network of information sharing. Each year a national conference is held in June. The purpose of the annual conferences is to provide members with educational opportunities and acquaint them with the latest technological advances in policing and correctional research and product development. In addition, peer networking is an important function of the conferences. The 2003 national conference was attended by approximately 4,600 members with more than 300 companies exhibiting law enforcement products. In addition to vendors of traditional police products (uniforms, firearms, body armor, training programs, etc.), many exhibitors reflect the jail-management functions of sheriffs' offices and therefore might range from architects specializing in cell construction and maintenance to food vendors purveying single-serving food packets to accommodate the dietary needs of detainees.

The most critical element of the NSA's success is its commitment to partnerships at all levels. NSA works to establish and maintain cooperative relationships with local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies, as well as relationships with citizens' groups.

The most influential partnerships have been with other professional organizations, bridging the gap between professionals working in an often unsystematic criminal justice system. For example, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies was established in 1979 as an independent accrediting authority by the NSA in cooperation with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Executive Research Forum. The NSA has several sections and committees directed at specific aspects of law enforcement, such as a traffic safety committee, the chaplains' advisory committee, and a research and development section.