GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

PRIMARY GOAL

The Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office role is to enforce the law in a fair, courtesy and impartial manner, recognizing both the statutory and judicial limitation of its authority and the constitutional rights of all individuals. It is not the role of the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office to legislate, to render legal judgment or to punish.

I. FUNCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

A. PREVENTION OF CRIME

The primary responsibility of upholding the law lies with the law enforcement officer and with the people. Since crime is a social phenomenon, then crime prevention is and should be the concern of every person in our society. Society employs full-time professional law enforcement officers to prevent crime, to deter it, and when that does not succeed, to apprehend those who violate the law. Crime is a symptom of our society, which is not the responsibility of the sheriff's office to cure. The Sheriff's Office is however, responsible for interacting with the community to generate mutual understanding to ensure that there will be public support for crime prevention. Community involvement is essential to facilitate a free flow of information between the public and the Sheriff's Office to assist in the identification of problem areas and to inform the public of crime statistics, patterns and trends. Additionally, knowledge of the community is necessary so that each employee may be instilled with a sense of concern for the crime problems and law enforcement needs that are generated in the community.

B. DETERRENCE OF CRIME

Crime is curbed by the potential criminal being fearful of his/her immediate apprehension or by the increased likelihood of detection. Deterrence of crime requires the observation and the investigation of behavior, which reasonably appears to be criminally directed. In deploying patrol units to inspire the public's confidence in the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office's ability to ensure a peaceful environment, a balance must be attained between the desirable deterrent effect of a visible patrol and the undesirable appearance of oppression.

C. APPREHENSION OF OFFENDERS

The administration of criminal justice consists of the identification, arrest, prosecution, punishment, and rehabilitation of the violator, the objective of which if voluntary compliance with the law. Once a crime has been committed, it is the duty of the Sheriff's Office to initiate the criminal justice process by identifying, locating and arresting the perpetrator. It is also the duty of this office to obtain the necessary evidence, and to cooperate in the prosecution of the case.

D. RECOVERY AND RETURN OF PROPERTY

The actual cost of crime is difficult to measure; there can never be a simple dollar value assigned to the injured bodies, devastated lives, and the human misery which are the products of crime. However, it is possible to observe the steadily rising costs of lost, damaged and stolen property. This loss, as well as the other associated costs of crime, is unfortunately and ultimately borne by the victims. To minimize the losses due to crime, the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office shall make every reasonable effort to recover lost or stolen property, to identify its owner, and to ensure its' prompt return.

E. MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC

To facilitate the safe and expeditious movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the Sheriff's Office is charged with the responsibility for traffic law enforcement. To enforce compliance with traffic laws and to develop driver awareness of the causes of traffic accidents, the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office shall appropriately warn, cite, or arrest traffic law violators. Traffic accidents are investigated to protect the rights of the involved parties, to care for the injured, and to determine the causes of accidents so that corrective steps and methods of prevention may be developed.

F. PUBLIC SERVICE

Often, due to the fact that there are no other public or private agencies available, the public relies upon law enforcement for assistance and advice in routine and emergency situations.

II. RESOURCE OBJECTIVES

A. DEPARTMENTAL PERSONNEL

Law Enforcement officers are frequently required to make rapid decisions that will affect human life and liberty with no opportunity to seek advice and very little time to weigh any alternatives.

Law enforcement requires that an officer have the stamina, intelligence, moral courage, and emotional stability necessary to deal with the human being fairly and impartially. To obtain the caliber of personnel necessary for professional law enforcement, it is essential that the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office aggressively pursue a program of providing equal employment and promotional processes.

B. UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES

Law enforcement is one of the most necessary, yet expensive and complex services provided by the County. The quality and the extent of the service provided are limited by the availability of resources. To ensure that the highest level of service is provided, the Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office will make use of the most efficient and effective management and budgeting techniques available.