Mission & Values

Mission Statement 

The Mount Airy Police Department is committed to safeguarding the lives and property of the people we serve, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety while working with the community to improve the quality of life through a community oriented/problem solving approach. Our mandate is to do so with service, honor, integrity and professionalism, while at all times maintaining the highest ethical standards to preserve public confidence. 
 

Vision Statement

To reduce crime and the conditions that create fear and concern over quality of life issues in Mount Airy neighborhoods by building an eclectic group of officers dedicated in carrying out the following core values that are incorporated in our mission. 
 

Core Values

Values set the core commitments of the department, forming the basis of how members address policing challenges. These values are never to be ignored or violated. They form the basis of policing policy, provide guidance in defining acceptable choices when addressing problems and exercising discretionary authority. In applying these values, it is important to note that process always trumps outcomes. For example, it is never acceptable to violate the law when seeking to achieve a police objective. The police profession has values set forth that serve as a keystone for the foundation designed to help carry out the duties as police professionals. At times, we may be confronted with circumstances where professional value systems conflict. It is in these instances adherence to professional values take precedence. 

The core set of values of all members of the Mount Airy Police Department are: 
 

Service.

 The Mount Airy Police Department will always be seeking a better, safer, more efficient way of serving the community. The specific ways we serve the community reflect who we are as professionals. We are responsive to the community, and deliver services promptly and efficiently. We will work collectively with the citizens to solve problems and issues that may plague the society, in all efforts to better serve the community. We intend to provide continued outstanding service by staying abreast of standard procedures, legal issues, and innovative topics in modern policing through regular training. We exercise rigor in thinking strategically about identifying trends, exploring alternative solutions, and solving problems. 

Honor.

 Policing is a dynamic profession. It is a calling that remains rooted in its rich traditions. We will conduct ourselves with such esteem as to give credit and distinction to those that laid the path before us. We will continually strive to maintain this characteristic foundation for future law enforcement professionals to be worthy of such esteem by the citizens we serve. Such a reputation lends itself to the faithfulness in the discharge of our duties and obligations by showing allegiance to those to whom one is bound in honor and loyalty. 

Integrity (High Ethical Standards.)

 We are committed to the enforcement of laws and the preservation of order and property. We personify high ethical standards, honesty, truthfulness, and consistency in our words and actions. This is how we prove ourselves to be worthy of the public’s trust. We exercise discretion in a manner that is beyond reproach. We do not accept gifts or special considerations as a consequence of our office. 

Professionalism.

 We treat the public and our colleagues with courtesy and respect. We understand that our appearance, words, and demeanor contribute to the public’s confidence in us. As professionals, we are directed by specific principles and courses of actions called policies. We act with fairness, restraint, and impartiality in carrying out our duties. We work with the community to continually understand and overcome cultural influences and unconscious biases. We understand that our actions, combined with the way we treat members of the community, contributes to our legitimacy in the eyes of the public.