Philosophy and Values Statement

The philosophy of an organization embodies the guiding principles and beliefs under which the members of the organization strive to achieve their mission, goals, and objectives.  The philosophy of the men and women of the State College Police Department may be summarized as follows:

·         We believe the men and women of the State College Police Department are its most valuable asset and the essential ingredient to effectively and efficiently accomplish the police mission.

·         We believe in the equitable, fair and impartial application of laws and ordinances without regard to race, color, creed, sex, or station in life, and in treating all individuals with tolerance, compassion and the dignity we would expect if found in similar circumstances.

·         We believe in the preservation of basic human rights and the maintenance of individual human dignity under the rule and spirit of law, which dictates that the ends do not always justify the means and that punishment is not the function of the police.

·         We believe in providing quality, empathetic, responsive and professional service to the citizens and visitors of our community.  Additionally, we believe the citizens of State College have endowed us with a public trust.  We will honor that trust by holding ourselves to the highest standards of professional police conduct, wholly subscribing to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics established by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

·         We believe in the decentralization of authority downward within the organization of the State College Police Department concomitant with accountability and responsibility for actions taken or omitted.

·         We believe that proactive team management, open communication and employee input, prior to policy and procedure implementation, are the norm in the State College Police Department.  Once decisions are made, we realize it is critical that everyone (including dissenters) work together toward achieving department goals.

·         We believe a written Policy, Rules and Regulations Manual is necessary to guide each member of this Department in the performance of their duties.  However, rules cannot be written to cover all contingencies.  Therefore, we believe all actions taken by Department personnel must be legal, professional, reasonable and consistent with the spirit and intent of this philosophy statement, the Constitution of the United States, the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the ordinances of the jurisdictions in which we serve.