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.