The Topeka Police Department:

• Takes a leadership role within the community
• Provides excellence in service and positive interaction with the community
• Ensures equality of services, citizen satisfaction, and the highest quality of life in our community
• Enforces laws fairly and equally and upholds the Constitution of the United States and the State of Kansas
• Recognizes each individual as a person of worth and deserving of the highest quality police service
• Recognizes the priorities and needs of the entire community.

Values Needed to Achieve Our Mission

1. The Topeka Police Department places its highest value on human life. We believe that human life is our most precious resource. Therefore, the Department will place its highest priority on the protection of life. We will achieve this in two ways. First, the allocation of resources and the response to demands for service must give high priority to those situations that threaten life. Second, although society authorizes police to use deadly force, the use of deadly force must be thoroughly justified and employed only as a last resort.
   
   
2. The Topeka Police Department must preserve and advance the principles of democracy as expressed in the Constitution. It is a privilege to be a police officer in a democratic society, but this privilege does not come without responsibility. We must not only protect life and property and maintain order, but also in a manner consistent with our democratic form of government. We have the most direct impact on the achievement of the principles of the Constitution. We must respect and protect the rights Guaranteed to each citizen by the Constitution and our laws.
   
   
3. The Topeka Police Department believes that the prevention of crime is our highest operational priority. Crime prevention has been a recognized police function since the formation of the first police agency. In the past it was believed that random police patrol would act as a deterrent by providing the image of a constant police presence. The Topeka Police Department strives to become more sophisticated. This results in new approaches to patrol. One such approach is to use computerized crime analysis techniques to direct patrol officers rather than depending on luck, as occurs in random patrol. Another approach is using new forms of patrol such as foot patrols and community offices. We have created crime prevention units to teach the public how to protect themselves and to maintain close contact with citizens. Crime prevention is a major element of the Topeka Police Department Mission.
   
   
4. The Topeka Police Department believes that the effective delivery of police service is dependent on community involvement. We cannot be successful without the support and involvement of the people we serve. Crime is not solely a police problem; it is a community problem. All citizens have an obligation to participate in the maintenance of order, while delegating to the police their collective authority to enforce the law. Moreover, we believe that a collaborative police and community effort is needed not only to identify community problems, but also in determining the most appropriate strategies for solving them.
   
   
5. The Topeka Police Department believes that it must be accountable to the people it serves. The Police Department is not an entity to itself. Rather, it is a part of government empowered by and existing to serve the public, to which it must be accountable. Accountability is a primary consideration in our development of policy and procedure. Accountability also means being open and requires responsiveness to the problems and needs of citizens. In addition, accountability requires the management of Police resources in the most efficient and economical manner.
   
   
6. The Topeka Police Department is committed to professionalism in all aspects of its operation. The role of the professional organization is serving its clients. Our role is serving the citizens of Topeka. A professional organization is guided by a code of conduct. We have adopted and are guided by the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. The manner in which the Police Department conducts business - operationally and administratively - must be consistent with professionally accepted practices and ideals. Consequently, we have voluntarily sought to move in the direction of complying with nationally accepted professional standards. Because we at times we may fall short of our best expectations of ourselves is no reason to accept less than truly professional values.
   
   
7. The Topeka Police Department strives to maintain the highest standards of integrity. Our community invests the highest level of trust in us. We must always be mindful to never violate public trust. Each member of the Department must recognize that he is held to a higher standard than the private citizen. We must also recognize that beyond representing the Department, we also represent City government and the law enforcement profession. Our conduct, both on and off duty, must be beyond reproach.
   
   
8. The Topeka Police Department values the caring men and women who comprise the Department. The quality of its members determines the quality of any organization. Our challenge in the 21st century will be to respond to problems created by rapid social and technological change. At the same time we will be expected to provide the stability that holds a society together during such periods of uncertainty. Our personnel must continuously demonstrate the leadership, dedication, compassion, and uncompromising quest for excellence that has always characterized the Department. This quest is crucial to our Mission. Our recruitment, selection, and continuous professional training will remain focused on developing a innovative police employee who analyzes situations and operates consistently within our value system. Based on these values, we affirm that it is the Mission of the Topeka Police Department "To deliver police services equitably, effectively and within the context of democratic values, in order to resolve community issues and problems and provide for the safety and security of our citizens."

Goals and Objectives to Fulfill Our Mission
The Department has established the following goals in order to provide the community with the level of police services it demands and the level of safety it expects.

1. To maintain competent staff to ensure the delivery of quality service to the community. Objectives:
   
   
   1. Recruit and hire quality employees.
   2. Train employees and develop leadership skills.
   3. Encourage employees to seek college education.
   4. Evaluate employees based on our standards with personal development as the end goal and positive reinforcement as the means.
   5. Promote personnel according to our values.
      
      
2. To obtain resources necessary to achieve our Mission from broad and diverse sources. Objectives:
   
   
   1. Plan for the future.
   2. Evaluate the cost effectiveness of programs.
   3. Develop and use strong management practices.
      
      
3. To maintain mutually beneficial relationships with selected entities that promote openness and a spirit of cooperation. Objectives:
   
   
   1. Identify other governmental, community and private organizations with matching responsibilities and goals.
   2. Establish collaborative, community problem solving partnerships.
      
      
4. To maintain a high level of support and trust from the community we serve. Objectives:
   
   
   1. Be involved in the community.
   2. Monitor public expectations of the police.
   3. Develop positive public perceptions of the Department.
   4. Promote mutual understanding and trust.
   5. Provide accountability systems such as policy, procedure, and audit reviews and sanctions.
   6. Assure a fair, honest, open and responsive approach to community needs.
   7. Build citizen trust in our programs and personnel.
      
      
5. To provide the citizens of Topeka the opportunity to travel the public roadways safely. Objectives:
   
   
   1. Promote roadway safety through fair and consistent traffic enforcement.
   2. Promote roadway safety through public education.
   3. Work closely with Traffic Engineering to identify and correct traffic control design issues.
      
      
6. To provide an environment in which the community feels secure from crime. Objectives:
   
   
   1. Take equal and timely enforcement action on violations of criminal law.
   2. Take the necessary steps toward crime prevention.
   3. Actively engage in positive programs for the youth of the community.
      
      
7. To maintain social order consistent with community standards and statutory requirements.
   
   
   1. Deliver police services based on community needs.
   2. Address safety concerns with the community.
   3. Provide services consistent with statutory requirement.