Shippensburg Police Department, Shippensburg Pennsylvania

MISSION, MOTTO, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

I. MISSION

The mission of the SPD is to provide and maintain, as much as practicable, a feeling of security and safety among all persons within our legal jurisdiction. It is critical that all members understand and support our mission. Mission is the legitimate basis for existence and is the basis for our profession's ethics, goals, objectives, rules, regulations, operating policies, procedures, and practices.

Mission is functionally defined by the power granted to us by legislated authority and the demand for the police service from our public. It is the direct and ultimate responsibility of the administrative head to interpret public demands and, within budgeted resources, provide for the best possible delivery of our services.

The nature of public safety and security forces are varied. Examples include but are not limited to: equal, equitable, and fair enforcement of laws; arrest of persons suspected of violating laws and ordinances; public relations contracts; and the personal demeanor, conduct and image of our personnel, on duty as well as off duty. These services and the perception we created while engaged in these services, are functionally defined, made real, and ultimately judged by the nature of our
activities we engage in as well as how we appear while engaged in these activities.

In summary, our mission is to deliver a service as well as a perception of service, i.e. feeling of
safety and security. The authority by which this agency operates, and the resources provided, are in affirmation of the public's trust. Each employee must be cognizant that the misuse or inefficient use of these resources leads to citizen apathy, alienation, and eventually the loss of public confidence and authority.

II. MOTTO

A. The motto for the SPD is "COOPERATION IS OUR GREATEST ASSET".

III. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Goals and Objectives for the SPD are:

NOTE: These goals are followed by objectives. We may devise other objectives at any time to achieve these goals.

A. Continued Improvement of Service to the Citizen.

This goal can be accomplished by achieving the following objectives:

1. Develop programs that include education and interdiction strategies, as well as arrest strategies. These programs should reach various groups within the community to include the elderly, the young, the business community, the property owner, and all residents.

2. Officers will attempt to respond to all emergency and non emergency response calls in a timely, yet safe manner.

3. Calls for service will be answered in a positive and helpful manner in all instances where possible.

4. Members of the SPD will contact a representative of other departments of the participating municipalities for citizen(s) or accompany the citizen(s) to the proper department when needed.

5. Our citizens will continue to be given opportunities to be educated in crime prevention, life saving techniques and police services available to them. This will be accomplished through neighborhood programs, school programs, Shippensburg University programs, and effective use of the news media and citizen contact.

6. The SPD will develop and use a citizen response survey to measure the quality of service provided by the department. Personal contact will be made by the Chief of Police and/or command officers on a regular basis with complaints and/or victims of crime in order to improve our quality of service. Results from these surveys will be taken into consideration by the SPC for future policy development.

7. The department will develop the Community Service Officer concept and will assist other departments of participating municipalities when available. i.e. assisting ambulance personnel on ambulance calls.

8. Develop and implement a home and business security survey team to respond on demand for citizen assistance, and to assist citizens in protecting themselves and their property after being victimized as to reduce further incidents.

B. Develop an Effective and Fair Evaluation System for the Police Department.

This can be accomplished by:

1. Development of a mission statement, goals, and objectives for the department whereby all personnel will be aware of and understand all policies, programs, and direction of the SPD.

2. Development of a system to evaluate personnel on conduct, proficiency, and behavior. These criteria will be established by selecting outstanding officers to develop the conduct, proficiency, and behavior standards for the department.

3. Evaluating performance of personnel throughout the year.

4. Performing a job task analysis for the various positions of the SPD, this to include both sworn and non-sworn personnel.

5. Begin to develop career paths for officers which are consistent with their career goals when they are in compliance with SPC philosophy and goals.

C. Develop and Improve Property and Evidence Room Procedures. This can be accomplished by:

1. Developing appropriate property receipt form and procedures.

2. Developing appropriate evidence submission form and procedures.

D. Increase Amount of Revenue Generated by the SPD.

This goal can be accomplished by achieving the following objectives:

1. Finding corporate sponsors for crime prevention and substance abuse programs.

2. Developing the Community Service Officer Program.

3. Aggressively using forfeiture statutes.

4. Providing services to other public service agencies, i.e., DUI booking center, etc.

5. Apply for applicable federal government, state government, local government, and private grants.

E. Reduce Exposure to Liability

This goal can be accomplished by achieving the following objectives:

1. Begin Accreditation Process through Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (C.A.L.E.A.);

2. Review and update the pursuit and emergency driving policies.

3. Continue development of a training program for officers that assure that firearms qualifications, emergency driving, self defense, first aid, department policy review, emergency fire suppression techniques, arrest, detention, stops, searches and seizures, .and review of interview and interrogation techniques are taught and reviewed yearly.

4. Developing and implementing an individualized training and development program for each officer.

5. Develop and implement an employee substance abuse policy.

F. Continue Personnel Development. Programs This goal can be accomplished by:

1. Applying for grants through the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) in cooperation with the Harrisburg Community College.

2. Continuing to send employees to the non-SPD specialized schools when possible to enhance their professional abilities through the use of grants and/or scholarships.

3. Encouraging employees to advance their formal education and use funds provided by the Commonwealth or other private sources.

4. Using an employee committee or other participatory type management techniques.

G. Develop Traffic Signal and Sign Map of the Geographical Area Served by the SPD.