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The University Police Department employs full-time, commissioned police officers to provide protection 24-hours a day.

The department is committed to the safety of students by partnering with the residence hall liaisons to provide education and training sessions upon request. In addition to patrol officers, the department also has a Criminal Investigations Unit that consists of two full-time investigators.

The staff of this department are committed to making the IUP campus a safe place in which to live, work, and study. Public Safety programs will support the educational mission of the University by coordinating the provisions of quality programs and services to reduce safety, health and environmental risk to the IUP community in a manner consistent with responsible fiscal and environmental stewardship.

We recognize that our success is measured by our ability to create and foster responsibility and awareness throughout the campus and to integrate Public Safety consideration into academic and administrative missions. Our mission can only be accomplished with the support and trust of the University community and through partnering with the community to carry out our programs.

For information regarding campus security and statistics, please refer to our Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports.

Mission

Our mission is to enhance the living, learning, and working experience at IUP Campus by protecting life, maintaining order, and safeguarding property.  We fulfill this purpose by providing our community with a full range of services that meet the highest professional standards of campus public safety.  We are committed to working with the community to define our priorities and build lasting partnerships.  Our core values guide us in this mission.

Integrity

We firmly adhere to the values set forth in this document and our professional ethics, as outlined in the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics.  We expect every member of our department to uphold the highest ethical standards at all times.

Respect

We treat all members of the community and each other with courtesy, fairness, and dignity.

Professionalism

We will continually develop our knowledge, skills, and abilities to the highest levels possible to enable us to provide the finest public safety services to the IUP Campus community.  Our approach is based on a commitment to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Accountability

We value the opportunity to serve the community and will ensure that our conduct always merits trust and support.  We will accept full responsibility for our actions and will take appropriate actions to meet community and professional expectations.

Service

We are committed to enhancing public safety and increasing the community's sense of security.  We will work in partnership with the community to identify and solve problems that affect the quality of life on campus.  We demonstrate our commitment to serve by placing the needs of others ahead of our own.

Mentoring

We recognize that individual and team contributions are essential to achieving our mission.  By sharing insight and guidance, and creating learning opportunities, we acknowledge that each member of our department makes valuable contributions to our purpose and vision.

Appreciation

We are proud of our profession, our colleagues, our department, and the IUP Campus.  We recognize the sacrifices our members make to ensure the safety and security of the community.  We will do everything necessary to ensure all our members feel appreciated and duly rewarded for their contributions.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Public Safety Department’s vision for the relationship between Law Enforcement and the Campus Community

• We value the life of every person and consider life to be the highest
• All people should be treated with dignity and This is another foundational value.
• We reject discrimination toward any person that is based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, nationality, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender, disability or familial status.
• We endorse the six pillars in the report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The first pillar is to build and rebuild trust through procedural justice, transparency, accountability, and honest recognition of past and present obstacles.
• We endorse the four pillars of procedural justice, which are fairness, voice (i.e., an opportunity for citizens and police to believe they are heard), transparency and impartiality.
• We endorse the values inherent in community policing, which includes community partnerships involving law enforcement, engagement of police officers with residents outside of interaction specific to enforcement of laws, and problem-solving that is collaborative, not one-sided.
• We believe that developing 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.
• We believe that law enforcement and community leaders have a mutual responsibility to encourage all citizens to gain a better understanding and knowledge of the law to assist them in their interactions with law enforcement officers.

• We support diversity in police departments and in the law enforcement profession. Law enforcement and communities have a mutual responsibility and should work together to make a concerted effort to recruit diverse police
• 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.

Law Enforcement 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 agency. 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.