The fundamental purpose of police service is to maintain public order and safety, enforce the law, and prevent, detect, and investigate criminal activities. However, the wide range of government tasks currently assigned to police has been given, to a great degree, without any coherent planning by state or local governments of what the overriding objectives or priorities of the police should be. The major current responsibilities of police include:
- Enforcing laws
- Preventing crime
- Responding to emergencies
- Providing support services
In formulating an overall direction for police services and in selecting appropriate objectives and priorities for the police, communities should be guided by certain principles that should be inherent in a democratic society. These principles include:
- Maximizing the use of the special authority and ability of the police to give emphasis to those social and behavioral problems which may require the use of force or the use of special skills.
- Promoting public safety and upholding the rule of law so that individual liberty may flourish.
- Building positive relationships with the community, respecting civil liberties, and avoiding tactics that encourage the use of excessive force against citizens.
Proper policing practices require that law enforcement build positive relationships with their community, respect civil liberties, and avoid tactics that encourage the use of excessive force against citizens.
