Sheriff's Office

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Bourbon County Sheriff's Department is to maintain social order and provide professional law enforcement services to citizens in the community, within prescribed ethical, budgetary, and constitutional constraints.

This agency strives to enforce the law and maintain order in a fair and impartial manner, recognizing the need for justice, and consistent appearance of justice.  The sheriff recognizes that no law enforcement agency can operate at its maximum potential without supportive input from the citizens it serves.

This agency actively solicits and encourages the cooperation of all citizens to reduce and limit the opportunities for crime and to assist in bringing to justice those that break the law.

BOURBON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE CANONS OF POLICE ETHICS

All sworn deputies with the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, or those members vested with law enforcement authority as a result of their employment with the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office will at all times abide by the following Canons of Police Ethics.

Primary Responsibility of Job:

            The primary responsibility of the police service, and of the individual officer, is the protection of the people of the United States through the upholding of their laws; chief among these is the Constitution of the United States and its amendments.  The law enforcement officer always represents the whole of the community and it's legally expressed will and is never the arm of any political party or clique.

Limitations of Authority:

            The first duty of law enforcement officer, as upholder of the law, is to know its bounds upon him in enforcing it.  Because he represents the legal will of the community, be it local, state or federal, he must be aware of the limitations and proscriptions which the people, through law, have placed upon him.  He must recognize the genius of the American system of government, which gives to no man, groups of men, or institution, absolute power, and he must ensure that he, as a prime defender of that system, does not prevent its character.  

Duty to be familiar with the Law and with the Responsibilities of self and other Public Officials:

            The law enforcement officer shall assiduously apply himself to the study of the principles of the laws, which he is sworn to uphold.  He makes certain of his responsibilities in the particulars of their enforcement, seeking aid from his superior in matters of technicality or principle when these are not clear to him; make special effort to fully understand his relationship to other public officials, including other law enforcement agencies, particularly on matters of jurisdiction, both geographically and substantively.

Utilization of Proper Means to Gain Proper Ends:

            The law enforcement officer shall be mindful of his responsibility to pay strict heed to the selection of means in discharging the duties of his office.  Violations of law or disregard for public safety and property on the part of an officer are intrinsically wrong; they are self-defeating in that they install in the public mind l like disposition.  The employment of illegal means, no matter how worthy the end, is certain to encourage disrespect for the law and its officers.  If the law is to be honored, it must first be honored by those who enforce it.

Cooperation with Public Officials in the Discharge of Their Authorized Duties:

            The law enforcement officer shall cooperate fully with other public officials in the discharge of authorized duties, regardless of party affiliation or personal prejudice.  He shall be meticulous, however, in assuring himself of the propriety, under the law, of such actions and shall guard against the use of his office or person, whether knowingly or unknowingly, in any improper or illegal action.  In any situation open to question, he shall seek authority from his superior officer, giving him a full report of the proposed service or action.

Private Conduct:

            The law enforcement officer shall be mindful of his special identification by the public as an upholder of the law.  Laxity of conduct or manner in private life, expressing either disrespect for the law or seeking to gain special privilege, cannot but reflect upon the police officer and the police service.  The community and the service required that the law enforcement officer lead the life of a decent and honorable man.  Following the career of a policeman gives no man special perquisites.  It does give the satisfaction and pride of following and furthering an unbroken tradition of safeguarding the American republic.  The officer who reflects upon this tradition will not degrade it.  Rather, he conducts a private life that the public regards as an example of stability, fidelity, and morality.

Conduct toward the Public:

            The law enforcement officer, mindful of this responsibility to the whole community, shall deal in a manner calculated to install respect for its laws and its police service.  The law enforcement officer shall conduct his official life in a manner that inspires confidence and trust.  Thus, he is neither overbearing nor subservient, as no individual citizen has an obligation to stand in awe of him of him or a right to command him.  The officer gives service where he can and requires compliance with the law.  He does neither from personal preference nor prejudice but rather as a duly appointed officer of the law discharging his sworn obligation.   

Conduct in Arresting and Dealing with Law Violators:

            The law enforcement officer shall use his powers of arrest strictly in accordance with the law and with due regard to the right of the citizen concerned.  His office gives him no right to prosecute the violator or to mete out punishment for the offense.  He shall, always, have a clear appreciation of his responsibilities and limitations regarding detention of the violator; he shall conduct himself in such a manner a will minimized the possibility of having to use force.  To this end he shall cultivate a dedication to the service of the people and the equitable upholding of their laws whether in the handling of law violators or in dealing with the law-abiding.

Gifts and Favors:

            The law enforcement officer, representing government, bears the heavy responsibility of maintaining, in his own on conduct, the honor and integrity of all government institutions.  He shall, therefore, guard against placing himself in a position in which any person can expect special consideration or in which the public can reasonably assume that special consideration is being given.  Thus, he should be firm in refusing gifts, favors, or gratuities, large or small, which can, in the public mind, be interpreted as capable of influencing his judgment on the discharge of his duties.

Impartial Conduct:

            The law enforcement officer shall be concerned equally in the prosecution of the wrongdoer and the defense of the innocent.  He shall ascertain what constitutes evidence and shall present such evidence impartially and without malice.  In so doing, he will ignore social, political and all other distractions among the person involved, strengthening the tradition of the reliability and integrity of an officer's word. 

            The law enforcement officer shall take special pains to increase his perception and skill of observation, mindful that in many situations his is the sole impartial testimony to the facts of the case.

Attitude Towards Profession:

            The law enforcement officer shall regard the discharge of his duties as a public trust and recognize his responsibility as a public servant.  By diligent study and sincere to self-improvement, shall strive to make the best possible application of science to the solution of crime and, in the field of human relationships, strive for effective leadership and public influence in matters affecting public safety.  He shall appreciate the importance and responsibility of his office, and hold police work to be an honorable profession rendering valuable service to his community and his country.   

OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS:

The following objectives have been established to accomplish the mission in the budgetary and manpower constraints imposed on the agency:

Protect Life and Property:

To provide services that contributes to the preservation of life, the protection of property, and the safety of the community.

Maintain Public Order:

To maintain peace and public order.  To assist during times of natural or technological disasters and/or other critical incidents.  To provide for the safe and effective flow of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic and the investigation of traffic related accidents.

Prevent, Detect and Investigate Criminal Activity:

To prevent crime through active and coordinated patrols that limits the opportunity for a crime to occur, and through education of citizens that reduces the likelihood of them becoming victims of crime.  To provide a through, appropriate, and efficient investigation of criminal activity.

Apprehension of Offenders:

To provide for the expeditious and prudent apprehension of suspected violators of the law, regardless of an individual's status in the community.

Community Service:

To provide the resources necessary for assisting citizens under special non-criminal circumstances.

Compliance with Ethical Standards and Professionalism:

To ensure integrity and adherence to the professional standards of the agency by investigating all complaints against agency personnel.  To provide for the training needs of officers/deputies and promote a high rate of proficiency in the officers/deputies of the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office; and to address the career development goals of agency personnel.