To recognize always that the power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behavior, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect – Sir Robert Peel

This is one of the core principles provided by Sir Robert Peel, recognized as the father of modern policing. These values provide the foundation upon which effective policing relationships with the community is built. To continue the strong community relationship the NLCRPD values with our community members, the NLCRPD team has taken the next logical step forward.

The NYCRPD has posted over 100 of the agencies written directives (with more to follow) under the POLICY tab and dropdown on the agency webpage at NLCRPD.org. This undertaking was begun in January of 2020 in accordance with recommendations highlighted below from the Police Executive Research Forum to the United States Department of Justice. In addition, the NLCRPD has also met another key recommendation as the NLCRPD is among only four accredited law enforcement agencies in Lancaster County. The items below illustrate recommendations taken directly from the PERF report.

“Be transparent and accountable. Transparency is essential to positive police-community relationships. When a critical incident occurs, agencies should try to release as much information about it as possible, as soon as possible, so the community will not feel that information is being purposefully withheld from them.”

“On a day-to-day level, police departments should post information on their websites detailing policies on use of force, community member complaints, and other issues. This information should be easily accessible to the community.”

“The “President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recommended that “to embrace a culture of transparency, law enforcement agencies should make all department policies available for public review and regularly post on the department’s website information about stops, summonses, arrests, reported crime, and other law enforcement data, aggregated by demographics.”

Agencies may also consider seeking accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies or similar agencies as a method of demonstrating their commitment to excellence in law enforcement.