Governor DeWine announced Thursday morning that several law enforcement agencies had completed the new Ohio Collaborative Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

Included in the list of agencies were Mahoning County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

In order to achieve accreditation, Mahoning County Sheriff's Office and OSHP had to meet or exceed nearly 36 state standards that address responsibilities such as professional conduct, bias-free policing, crisis intervention and community engagement.

DeWine created the program last year in order to recognize agencies that voluntarily complete the standards.

"The law enforcement agencies achieving accreditation today have reached the state's highest standards in professional excellence, integrity and accountability," said DeWine.

DeWine also stated," Accreditation is important because it sends a message to the public that they're being served by an agency that's among the best of the best."

DeWine posted a complete list of all the state's new accredited law enforcement agencies: