[Adopted 11-15-2016 by Ord. No. 11152016]
The German Township Police Department (the "Police Department") is hereby created and established in order to provide police protection and law enforcement services for the Township and to preserve and protect the health, safety and welfare of the Township's residents and the public at large, with an effective date of November 15, 2016.
Pursuant to the Second Class Township Code, 53 P.S. § 66903. as amended, the police officers of the Police Department shall have all the powers, duties and authority conferred by law on police officers in the Township.
The Board of Supervisors shall provide for the organization and supervision of the German Township Police Department, and the Board of Supervisors shall determine the number and compensation of the police officers.
The Board of Supervisors shall appoint and employ a Police Chief who shall be responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations and activities of the Police Department and shall have direct supervision of the police officers in the Police Department, subject to the direction and supervision of the Board of Supervisors. During a vacancy in the Police Chief position, the Board of Supervisors may delegate all or a portion of the duties and responsibilities of the Police Chief to a police officer of the Police Department.
The Police Chief shall be responsible for promulgating, revising and maintaining standard operating procedures for the Police Department, subject to the prior approval of the Board of Supervisors.
The Board of Supervisors may assign any police officer to undergo a course of training at any training school for police officers established or made available by the federal or state government and provide for payment of the officer's expenses while in attendance at the training school.
Each police officer of the Police Department shall have those powers and abilities as are granted to police officers under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and/or the rules of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and/or the ordinances of the Township for which a fine or penalty is imposed, unless otherwise excepted by law.
Each police officer, when on duty, shall wear or possess a shield or badge with the words "Township Police" and the name of German Township inscribed thereon, unless, due to the nature of the assignment, the safety and welfare of the police officer would be reasonably jeopardized by the same.
No police officer of the Police Department, including the Police Chief, shall engage or participate in any political or election campaign other than to exercise his own right of suffrage.
The police officers of the Police Department are authorized to arrest without a warrant in the Township pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8902, as amended, including, but limited to:
A. 
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5503, as amended (relating to disorderly conduct).
B. 
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5505, as amended (relating to public drunkenness).
C. 
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5507, as amended (relating to obstructing highways and other public passages).
D. 
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6308, as amended (relating to purchase, consumption, possession or transportation of liquor or malt or brewed beverages).
E. 
A violation of any ordinance duly enacted by the Township of German.
When a police officer of the Police Department makes a warrantless arrest under 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8902, as amended, the police officer shall consult and follow the procedures in Rule 441 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, Pa. R. Crim. P. 441, as amended.
Prior to making a warrantless arrest under 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8902, as amended, the police officer of the Police Department shall ensure that the following requirements contained in the statute are satisfied:
A. 
That probable cause exists that the arrestee has committed one of the listed summary offenses.
B. 
That the arrestees's conduct is ongoing.
C. 
That the conduct constituting the summary offense is upon the police officer's view.
D. 
That the conduct imperils the personal security of any person (including the arrestee) or endangers public or private property.