Borough of Canonsburg, PA Chapter 45 Police Department

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Canonsburg 11-1-1988 as Ch. 1, Part 7, of the 1988 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 45-1 Powers and duties.

The following duties are prescribed for performance (by the following classifications of officers), subject to reasonable and lawful rules as may be issued by the Mayor under his powers in the Borough Code.[1]

A. Chief of Police. The Chief of Police is hereby constituted the chief executive officer of the Police Department; the Chief of Police shall have active charge of any police office maintained by the Borough, and implicit observance must be rendered to his orders by all officers of the Department. His duties shall consist of the following:

(1) Administrative duties. It shall be his responsibility to:

(a) Efficiently supervise the office and police force.

(b) Maintain good public relations with the public, citizenry and press.

(c) Coordinate the activities of his Department with those of the other offices and officials of the Borough.

(d) Cooperate with other police agencies, local, county and state.

(e) Report all charges preferred against any officer, be present at their investigation and keep a record of the charge, evidence presented and defense offered.

(f) Keep an inventory of all Police Department property.

(g) Keep or cause to be kept a complete record of all arrests and law violations, identities of the violators, the nature of the charges, by whom arrested and a resume of circumstances and the disposition of the case. A written summary shall be submitted monthly to the Mayor and the Public Safety Committee of the Council.

(2) Supervisory duties. In the performance of his supervisory duties, he shall:

(a) Detail such orders to the members of the police force as may be necessary to carry out the duties outlined herein.

(b) Inspect all members of the police force from time to time, supervise their general conduct, observe their performance of duty and report the same to the Mayor and to the Council with such recommendations as he may deem advisable.

(c) Require subordinate officers to report on duty wearing the approved uniform.

(d) Prepare or cause to be prepared and post schedule of the subordinate officers' working hours.

(e) Investigate or cause to be investigated any and all crimes reportedly committed within the Borough.

(f) Report personally to the scene of any alleged felony and investigate the same and, in the instance of a homicide, take charge of the premises.

(g) Keep or cause to keep a daily check on any premises in the Borough which have been used consistently for violations of the law.

(h) Report promptly all serious fires, explosions, disasters, riots or other tumultuous assemblages within the Borough, assume command of the police officers present there, protect property, dispel all crowds if necessary and cause the arrest of any person refusing to take orders, disturbing the peace or inciting others to do so. Nothing herein contained shall derogate from the authority conferred upon the Mayor in cases of emergency.

(i) Carry out all duties imposed upon him by law.

(j) Establish and conduct training programs for police personnel.

(k) Be responsible to diligently enforce or cause to be enforced all the laws of the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Borough of Canonsburg.

B. Deputy Chief.

[Added 3-13-1995 by Ord. No. 1194]

(1) The position of the Deputy Chief of Police is added to the classification of officers of the Borough of Canonsburg Police Department.

(2) Said Deputy Chief, while on his shift, shall be constituted to be the second officer in command and, in the absence of the Chief, is to be charged with the responsibility of performing all the duties of the Chief as spelled out for the Chief in this section and, in addition, to all the duties of a policeman when the schedule or conditions require.

(3) Said Deputy Chief shall be considered a managerial, executive or assistant position to the Chief, but he shall perform all the duties of a policeman when the schedule shifts or conditions require so as to require no additional staffing. Said Deputy Chief will be governed by a written contract with the Borough Council similar to that presently existing with the Chief of Police.

(4) The Borough Council, in establishing this Assistant or Deputy Chief position, states that no party will be considered for said position unless he has had a minimum of five years' experience as a Lieutenant or Sergeant in good standing on the Canonsburg Police Force as of the time the job is to be filled.

(5) The positions of Lieutenant and Sergeants and Corporals shall be considered to change so that the Lieutenant is hereby constituted to be behind in command to the Assistant or Deputy Chief, and the Sergeant is constituted to be behind in command to the Assistant or Deputy Chief, and the Sergeant is constituted to be behind the Lieutenant as the next in command, and the Corporal is constituted to behind the Sergeant as the next in command. Any tests for promotion to Sergeant or Lieutenant may only be taken by a police officer who has five years' service with the Department.

(6) Should at any time the Borough Council, in its sole discretion, deem that this position is no longer needed or that a vacancy occurs, the Borough Council, by resolution, may eliminate said position or leave the position open; however, any individual holding said Assistant or Deputy Chief position at such time is guaranteed to be returned to the regular police force at his old rank and with said rank's pay and benefits as said individual would have been entitled to had he not become Deputy Chief.

C. Lieutenant of Police. The Lieutenant, while on his shift, shall be constituted to be the second officer in command and, in the absence of the Chief, is charged with the responsibility of performing the duties of the Chief necessary on his shift, in addition to all the duties of a patrolman when the schedule or conditions require.

D. Sergeant. The Sergeant is hereby constituted to be next in command behind the Chief and the Lieutenants. All duties assignable to the Lieutenants may be assigned to the Sergeants.

E. Corporal. The Corporal is hereby constituted to be next in command behind the Chief, Lieutenants and Sergeants. All duties assignable to the Lieutenants and Sergeants may be assigned to the Corporals.

F. Patrolmen. It shall be the duty of every patrolman to report on duty, in uniform, at all reasonable times scheduled and to promptly and obediently carry out his assigned beat, patrol and such lawful orders as may be issued to him by the Chief or Lieutenant. He shall be responsible for the enforcement of any laws while on duty at any time.

G. All the police personnel shall have the duty to be on twenty-four-hour call and shall be subject to work above and beyond their regular scheduled hours when necessary for the protection of the citizens of Canonsburg. The working hours of the Chief shall not be inconsistent with the duties of the Office of Chief of Police.

[1] Editor's Note: See 8 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq.