West Windsor Township Police Department

Mission Statement, Guiding Principles and Values

 Mission Statement

The mission of the West Windsor Township Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in the Township of West Windsor by working cooperatively with the public and within the framework of the U.S. Constitution to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment.

In an effort to protect the citizens of West Windsor Township, we shall vigorously work to prevent and detect crime.  We shall enforce the laws of this state in an unbiased manner and we shall strive to maintain order.

We have a sincere commitment to serve our culturally, racially and religiously diverse community.  Accordingly, we shall strive to deliver our service with sensitivity, compassion and empathy.  We shall always do our best to improve the quality of life for the citizens of West Windsor Township.

Guiding Principles

We believe that life and individual freedoms are sacred.

We believe in fair and equitable treatment of all individuals.

We believe that our role is to resolve problems through the law, not to judge or punish.

We recognize the neighborhood as the basic segment of the community.

We cannot carry out our responsibilities alone; thus we must be willing to involve the community in all aspects of policing.

We believe that our fundamental responsibility to the community is quality service.

We, as employees, are our department’s most valuable assets.

We believe employee involvement is vital to a productive environment.

We are committed to the recognition of human dignity and enrichment of work life through fair and equitable treatment of employees.

We hold ourselves to a higher standard of social and professional conduct.

Values

The West Windsor Township Police Department exists to serve the community by protecting life and property; by preventing crime; by enforcing the laws; by maintaining order for all citizens; and by providing needed services as they are requested.

Central to our mission are the values that guide our work and decisions, and help us contribute to the quality of life in West Windsor Township.

Our values are characteristics of qualities of worth.  They are non-negotiable and although we may need to balance them, we will never ignore them for the sake of expediency or personal preference.

West Windsor Township Police Department

Mission Statement, Guiding Principles and Values

 We hold our values constantly before us to teach and remind us, and the community that we serve, of our ideals.  They are the foundation upon which our policies, goals and operations are built.

In fulfilling our mission, we need the support of citizens, elected representatives and Township officials in order to provide the quality of service our values commit us to providing.

We, the men and women of the West Windsor Township Police Department, value Human Life, Integrity, Laws and Constitution, Excellence, Accountability, Cooperation, Problem Solving and Ourselves.

Human Life-                We value human life and dignity above all else, therefore:

                                We give first priority to situations that threaten life.

                                We use force only when necessary.

                                We treat all persons with courtesy and respect.

                                We are compassionate and caring.

Integrity-                We believe integrity is the basis for community trust, therefore:

                                We are honest and truthful.

                                We are consistent in our beliefs and actions.

                                We hold ourselves to high standards of moral and ethical conduct.

                                We are role models for the community.

Laws and Constitution-        We believe in the principles embodied in our Constitution.  We recognize the authority of Federal, State and local laws,        therefore:

                                We respect and protect the rights of all citizens.

                                We treat all persons fairly and without favoritism.

                                We are knowledgeable.

                                We enforce the law.

                                We obey the law.

Excellence-            We strive for personal and professional excellence, therefore;

                                We do our best.

                                We have a vision for the future.

We seek adequate resources, staffing, facilities, equipment, training, salaries, and benefits.

We recruit and hire the best people without political influence in our hiring process.

                                We train and develop our employees to their highest potential.

                                We are committed to fair and equitable personnel practices.

                                We provide organizational mobility.

                                We recognize and reward good performance.

We support reasonable risk-taking and are tolerant of honest mistakes.

                                We are receptive to new ideas and to change.

                                We work toward realistic, mutually agreed upon goals.

                                We meet nationally recognized law enforcement standards.

                                We lead by example.

West Windsor Township Police Department

Mission Statement, Guiding Principles and Values

  Accountability-    We are accountable to each other and to the citizens we serve, who are the source of our authority, therefore;

We communicate openly and honestly among ourselves and with the community.

                                We understand the importance of community values and expectations.

                                We are responsive to community concerns.

                                We acknowledge our mistakes and are open to constructive criticism.

                                We manage our resources effectively.

                                We thoroughly investigate complaints against our employees.

Cooperation-   We believe that cooperation and teamwork will enable us to combine our diverse backgrounds, skills and styles to achieve common goals, therefore;

                                We work as a team.

We understand our role in achieving Department and Township goals and objectives.

We share our responsibility to serve the citizens of West Windsor with many other agencies and organizations.

                                We strive to understand those who disagree with us.

                                We seek the help and cooperation of others.

                                We seek to resolve conflicts.

                                We rely on community support and involvement.

Problem Solving-   We are most effective when we help identify and solve community problems, therefore;

                                We work to anticipate and prevent problems.

We give a high priority to preventing crime and helping citizens feel safe.

                                We actively seek opinions and ideas from others.

                                We plan, analyze and evaluate.

                                We recognized that crime is a community problem.

                                We listen to problems and complaints with empathy and sensitivity.

                                We seek innovative solutions.

Ourselves-   We are capable, caring people who are doing important and satisfying work for the citizens of West Windsor Township, therefore;

                                We respect, care about, trust and support each other.

                                We enjoy our work and take pride in our accomplishments.

                                We are disciplined and reliable.

                                We keep our perspective and sense of humor.

                                We balance our professional and personal lives.

                                We consult the people who will be affected by our decisions.

                                We have a positive, “can-do” attitude.

We cultivate our best characteristics; initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, patience, competence and judgment.