Police Department

YORKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of the Yorkville Police Department is to work in partnership with the community to protect life and property, assist neighborhoods with solving their problems and enhance the quality of life in our City.

YORKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT CODE OF ETHICS

As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice.

I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to me or to my Department. I will maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.

I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, political beliefs, aspirations, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.

I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of police service. I will never engage in acts of corruption or bribery, nor will I condone such acts by other police officers. I will cooperate with all legally authorized agencies and their representatives in the pursuit of justice.

I know that I alone am responsible for my own standard of professional performance and will take every reasonable opportunity to enhance and improve my level of knowledge and competence.

I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession… law enforcement.

Note: This Code of Ethics was adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and stands as a preface to the mission and commitment Law Enforcement agencies make to the public they serve.

YORKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT CORE VALUES

To fulfill its Mission, the Yorkville Police Department values: Compassion, Integrity, Accountability, Fairness, Professionalism, Innovation, Continuous Improvement, Diversity and Inclusion. To that end the Yorkville Police Department affirms the following principles regarding the relationship between Law Enforcement and the Communities and People we serve (10 Shared Principles):

Principle #1: We value the life of every person and consider life to be the highest value.

Principle #2: All persons should be treated with dignity and respect.

Principle #3: We reject discrimination toward any person based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, nationality, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or familial status.

Principle #4: We endorse the Six Pillars of the President’s Task Force on 21^st Century Policing.

Principle #5: We endorse the four pillars of Procedural Justice: Fairness, Voice, Transparency and Impartiality.

Principle #6: We endorse values inherent in community policing to include: Community Partnerships, Engagement of officers outside of enforcement activity and Collaborative Problem Solving.

Principle #7: Relationships Matter: We will strive to develop strong ongoing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color at the leadership level and street level will be the keys to diminishing and eliminating racial tension.

Principle #8: Community leaders and law enforcement have a mutual responsibility to encourage citizens to gain a better understanding of the law and to assist with interaction with law enforcement officers.

Principle #9: We support diversity in police departments and the law enforcement profession.

Principle #10: We believe de-escalation training should be required to ensure the safety of community members and officers. We endorse using de-escalation tactics to reduce the potential for confrontations that endanger law enforcement officers and community members; and the principle that human life should be taken only as a last resort.

Vision Statement

The vision of the Yorkville Police Department is to develop a problem solving and customer-oriented environment for the employee to effectively respond to the needs of the community.

This vision projects a mutual understanding of shared problems which will result in a high level of confidence and harmony between the police and the community. The Yorkville Police Department and the Community will forge a close and consistent partnership to address issues and solve problems effectively, making the city a safe, healthy and attractive place for commerce and community life.