It shall be the duty of every member of the Patterson Township
Police Department to read, acknowledge and conform to all rules and
regulations of this Department. Ignorance to their existence shall
not constitute a defense for a violation.
All members will enforce all federal, state and municipal ordinance
laws. This enforcement shall be conducted in a congenial and gentlemanly
manner.
All members of this Department when in uniform shall salute
the national colors as they pass on all occasions providing they are
facing the colors and are not otherwise engaged. Members when not
in uniform shall salute by uncovering and standing at attention. On
all occasions when the national anthem is being played, members in
uniform shall come to attention and salute. Members not in uniform
shall uncover and stand at attention.
A patrolman shall carry out all functions of the Department,
including but not limited to the preservation of peace, the protection
of life and property, the prevention of crime, the arrest of violators
and the proper enforcement of all laws and ordinances. He/she shall
constantly direct his/her best efforts to accomplish this in an intelligent,
efficient and responsible manner and shall perform those duties and
work the hours as prescribed by the Chief of Police.
No member of the Department shall bring or permit to be brought
into the Police Station any intoxicating liquor, beer or other beverage
unless it represents evidence or has been prescribed by a physician.
Each member when reporting for duty shall be in regulation uniform
and be neat and clean in appearance. Routine polishing of leather
goods and footwear is encouraged.
The duty officer, during the night and during the times that
businesses are closed, will exercise all vigilance in examining and
protecting all businesses by making a physical inspection of those
businesses and making an entry of any irregularities found onto the
business patrol sheet and document the findings via computer incident
entry.
A. The duty officer will exercise all vigilance in examining and protecting
the homes of those residents of Patterson Township and Patterson Heights
who are temporarily away. The duty officer on the shift of 12:00 midnight
until 8:00 a.m. shall make a physical inspection of those homes and
notify the proper individuals of any irregularities found and report
the same via computer incident entry. Homes will be inspected every
night with the number of homes not to exceed 20 per night. When the
number exceeds 20 homes, they will be halved and checked every other
night. Should the number exceed 30, they will be divided by three
and checked every third night.
B. No officer shall enter any residence of an individual temporarily
out of Patterson Township or Patterson Heights unless accompanied
by an authorized person having right and access. Should the temporary
designee not be available and only in cases of emergency, entry may
be made in the accompaniment of another police officer. Documentation
of these actions will be done via computer incident entry.
At all times, but particularly in hours of darkness, all officers
shall constantly vigilant to any suspicious vehicles, persons or movement
constituting departures from normal observations. Notations as to
vehicle descriptions and license numbers will be logged and any irregularities
noted via computer incident entry for other Department members.
Each member of the Department shall be responsible for the routine
maintenance, proper care and serviceability of Department-issued property
pursuant to all policies enacted and prescribed. Any property lost,
stolen or damaged shall be reported immediately to the Chief of Police.
All members of the Department shall promptly turn over all recovered
properties, either found or confiscated as evidence, in their possession
to the Chief of Police or his/her designate for proper logging and
securing within the evidence storage area. Every attempt shall be
made to locate the owner of properties found either by Department
members or the general public.
A. All members of the Department shall treat as confidential the official
business of the Department. No member is permitted to repeat, photograph,
photocopy or communicate in any fashion any information dealing with
the Department itself, Department personnel, or incidents under investigation
without express verbal or written permission by the Commissioner of
Police or the Chief of Police. This rule shall not apply to information
subpoenaed or covered under the Freedom of Information Act.
B. No officer shall release details of any incident or accident to the
news media. Media releases shall be made only by the Chief of Police
or his designate.
Members of the Department shall at all times obey the lawful
orders of a superior officer as long as that order is not in conflict
with a previous one. The officer noting said previous order shall
respectfully bring that conflict to the superior officer's attention
for resolution. Obeyance of the most recent order will release the
officer from the liability of the previous order. All officers shall
at all times display respect of rank while in uniform and in public.
No member of the Department shall permit anyone to operate a
Department vehicle other than those persons authorized by the Board
of Commissioners, the Chief of Police or the Assistant Chief of Police.
No unauthorized person shall ride or be permitted to ride in the Department's
patrol vehicles. This rule will not apply to bank or courtesy escorts
documented via computer entry.
No member of the Department shall have another officer substitute
for him/her on duty without prior permission of the Chief of Police.
No equipment, either personal or Department-issued to that officer,
shall be left in any patrol vehicle at the end of that officer's duty
tour. Each officer shall inspect the patrol vehicle for damages noting
any via computer incident entry and shall in all cases leave the patrol
vehicle in a neat and clean condition.
A. Any member of this Department who is unable to report for work due
to illness or emergency will, in all cases possible, notify the Chief
of Police at least two hours in advance of the beginning of his/her
assigned duty tour. Should the Chief of Police be unavailable, the
Assistant Chief of Police will be notified. Should the Assistant Chief
of Police be unavailable, the duty officer shall be notified. The
duty officer shall make out two report off sheets to be completed
by the officer reporting off when he/she returns to duty. One copy
shall remain within the Department, and one copy shall be submitted
to the Township Secretary.
B. Members of the Department shall be entitled to sick days with pay
pursuant to the existing contractual agreement between the Township
of Patterson and the Department. However, should the officer be absent
from work due to sickness for more than three consecutive scheduled
working days but less than seven consecutive scheduled working days,
the officer cannot return to work unless released for return to duty
by his/her primary care physician. If the work absence exceeds seven
consecutive scheduled workings days, in addition to a release by the
officer's primary care physician, a release must also be secured by
the township's physician. Being absent from work does not include
properly selected vacation days, preapproved leave of absence, time
off by permission or any period of layoff.
C. Any member of the Department taken ill or injured while on duty shall
as soon as practical notify the Chief of Police or the Assistant Chief
of Police. The duty officer shall not leave his assigned duties until
properly relieved unless it is physically impossible to do so. In
the case of injury, the incident shall be documented via computer
entry and a copy submitted to the Chief of Police as soon as practical.
Members of the Department shall be entitled to vacation time
with pay pursuant to the existing contractual agreement between the
Township of Patterson and the Department. Vacation time will be chosen
by seniority. In no case shall two officers be granted vacation at
the same time or during a time period where granting said vacation
time would jeopardize or endanger the safety of the Township of Patterson.
At his discretion, the Chief of Police may, when feasible, permit
an individual vacation day of one officer to be scheduled concurrent
with another officer's full vacation week. No vacation time shall
be taken during the week of the Fire Company's carnival.
Each officer shall be responsible for the recording of his/her
activities via computer report or other documents as required during
his/her duty tour. These reports shall be completed by the end of
the shift unless exigent circumstances make it impractical. In no
case shall any reports or records be removed from the office without
express permission of the Chief of Police or the Assistant Chief of
Police.
Juveniles, defined as any person under the age of 18 years,
committing violations of federal, state or local laws shall be treated
in accordance with existing laws governing the handling and adjudication
of juveniles. It shall be the responsibility of the Chief of Police
to disseminate updates in juvenile procedures to the Department. Juveniles
charged with violations of the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code, as
amended, will be treated as an adult driver with the exception of
Vehicle Code misdemeanor violations.
Because of required municipal police training pursuant to Act
120 of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it is presumed that all officers
are aware of and have demonstrated proficiency in normal police-related
matters and preliminary investigations. In the event of a serious
crime, it shall be the duty officer's responsibility to take control
of the crime scene, assist any injured parties, summon backup police
or medical personnel as needed and secure the crime scene. The officer
shall then notify the Assistant Chief of Police or his designate as
lead investigator. The duty officer shall then conduct preliminary
interviews if possible and preserve the crime scene. In no case shall
the duty officer permit unauthorized personnel to enter or corrupt
the crime scene.
Any officer questioning, detaining, arresting or charging a
person with a violation of any enforceable laws shall at all times
be in compliance with and adhere to the rules of criminal procedure
as prescribed by Pennsylvania State statutes. It shall be the responsibility
of the Chief of Police to maintain, through proper and available channels,
ongoing or mandated update training.
Any subject in custody will be given the privilege of notifying
a relative, friend or legal counsel of their arrest, and all reasonable
assistance shall be given them to facilitate that notification.
A. While engaged in routine patrol, all officers shall be vigilant to
the discovery of a fire. Should an officer locate a fire, he/she will
make notification of the location, type and severity of the fire by
the quickest means available. It shall also be the duty of the officer
to arouse, by whatever means available, any occupants of a burning
building or an adjoining building and shall assume charge of the scene
until Fire Company personnel arrive, at which time the officer will
relinquish command.
B. All officers shall maintain fire protection lines at a fire scene
and will ensure the protection and safety of all pedestrian and vehicular
traffic and will furnish whatever assistance is deemed necessary or
requested by the command line officer in charge of the Fire Company.
Traffic control duties shall be assumed until such time as the Fire
Company fire police arrive and assume their respective duty stations.
When required to interrupt routine patrol duties to answer routine
or emergency calls, the officer shall attend to those duties in an
expeditious and courteous manner and, after completing the assigned
duties, return to routine patrol in a timely fashion.
All officers shall render assistance to any other police agency
when requested to do so but only in accordance with all existing Department
rules and regulation and when such assistance will not jeopardize
the safety or security of the citizenry of Patterson Township or Patterson
Heights.
All officers shall investigate and complete the necessary forms
and computer data entry for all accidents that occur within the Department's
jurisdiction. The classification and approval of said accident reports
will be the responsibility of the officer designated by the Chief
of Police.
All officers shall, upon institution of a criminal or ordinance
arrest, complete and submit all relevant reporting forms and case
control jacket folder. The classification and filing responsibilities
of said arrest reports will be the responsibility of the officer designated
by the Chief of Police.
An officer called upon to control traffic will do so in a manner
with due regard for the safety of pedestrians as well as the traveling
motorists. The officer shall ensure that all traffic laws are observed
and shall do so in a calm, dignified and courteous manner. The reprimand
of any traffic violator in an abusive or spectacular manner will not
be tolerated.
All officers in the course of routine patrol shall make notice
of unsafe, hazardous, unsanitary or offensive conditions and shall
make report of the same to the proper state, county, Township or heights
agency as soon as practical and make record of the same via computer
entry.
No member of the Department shall make or cause to be made any
contractual agreement for services or purchases for the Department
without express permission of the Chief of Police. This policy shall
not prohibit the purchase of minor and/or necessary patrol vehicle
parts during times when the Chief of Police is not available and such
parts are needed for the safe operation of the patrol unit.
Any officer involved in a motor vehicle accident with a Department
vehicle shall notify the Pennsylvania State Police for the purposes
of the accident investigation. As soon as practical, the officer will
notify the Chief of Police or the Assistant Chief of Police and a
detailed computer entry will be made of the incident.
The daylight officer shall be responsible for the washing and
cleaning of the patrol vehicles and for the timely delivery of all
necessary documents to the District Justice's office.
No officer shall wear or use any part of his/her uniform or
any other equipment, including any firearms, belonging to the Department
while employed for himself/herself, another person, firm, agency,
corporation or government body. A violation of this rule shall be
deemed grounds for dismissal. This rule shall not apply to functions
under the aegis of the Blackhawk School District.
If the Township of Patterson purchases personal body armor for
an officer, that officer shall wear said body armor every time he/she
is on scheduled duty and in full uniform. This rule shall not apply
to an officer's uniformed or nonuniformed appearances at the minor
judiciary, Common Pleas Court, seminars or mandated schooling. Exception
to this rule for just cause or medical reason may be given by the
Commissioner of Police or the Chief of Police. Violation of this rule
will be as follows:
A. First offense: three-day suspension without pay.
B. Second offense: fifteen-day suspension without pay.
C. Third offense: thirty-day suspension without pay.
D. Fourth offense; termination.
All officers shall respond to reported abandoned 911 calls as
dispatched. The officer shall, upon dispatch to a single and nonresponding
911 call at a residence, make every effort to ensure that the residence
is secure and that no person is present, stopping short of making
entry. If the reported 911 call has an open- ended line, particularly
if signs of distress are reported by the dispatcher or there are repeated
calls with a hang-up response on call back, every effort shall be
made to ensure contact with a subject inside. If after all reasonable
efforts fail to bring a subject to the door for entry and the officer
believes an emergency exists, the officer shall contact a backup unit
and make entry into the residence by the least invasive measure possible.
The incident shall be documented via computer entry detailing the
circumstances present that dictated entry.
It shall be the policy of the Department to respond to all requests
for assistance in the accidental lockouts of vehicles. Prior to attempting
entry with tools provided by the Department, the officer shall inform
the owner or operator that the attempt to gain entry could cause damage
to the locking device. Only after verbal permission from the vehicle
owner or operator is received shall the attempt be made to make entry.
The incident will be documented via computer entry with all necessary
vehicle data entered and comments indicating verbal permission was
granted.
All officers shall read and be knowledgeable of these general
rules, the rules of discipline and conduct and all specific policy
guidelines contained in the Patterson Township Police Department Standard
Operating Procedures and Policies manual. In cases where a specific consequence or penalty for rule
violation is not delineated in the rule or policy, it shall be at
the discretion of the Commissioner of Police or Chief of Police as
to the penalty and action taken. Said actions may result in verbal
or written reprimand, suspension, dismissal or termination. Any disciplinary
action is subject to review and appeal to the Board of Commissioners.
In the event that a situation arises that is not addressed in
these procedures and policies, it shall be the duty of that officer
recognizing that deficiency to bring that matter to the attention
of the Chief of Police or Assistant Chief of Police.
The officer in charge, in the event of a catastrophe or other
extreme emergency, may with the utmost of discretion make minor deviations
from the general rules. Departure from the rules in this instance shall be subject
to the review and evaluation by a superior officer or the Board of
Commissioners.