Mission, Vision & Values
We strive to always personify our strong mission, vision and values that are at the heart of everything we do on behalf of our community through the Salinas Police Department.
We strive to always personify our strong mission, vision and values that are at the heart of everything we do on behalf of our community through the Salinas Police Department.
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Working in partnership with the people of Salinas to enhance the quality of life through the delivery of professional, superior and compassionate police service to the community.
The Salinas Police Department is committed to being a national leader in policing through excellence, innovation, continuous learning, and quality leadership. We shall always provide police services which are sensitive to the needs of our community, involving collaborative partnerships and teamwork to overcome any and all challenges, as we strive to personify our strong values that are at the heart of everything we do.
The Salinas Police Department exists to serve the community. We do this by protecting life and property, preventing crime, enforcing the law, and by maintaining order for all residents. We consider service to our community to be our primary responsibility. We will always strive to professionally and enthusiastically respond to the community’s needs.
The Salinas Police Department recognizes October 14, 1872 as the date of establishment, reflecting the appointment of the first law enforcement officer for the town which later became the City of Salinas.
Salinas is a place where things grow: our community, our families, enough produce to feed the nation, enough wildflowers to blanket the nearby mountains, and all the dreams you might expect in one of the youngest cities in America. It’s a community of over 163,000 people where the median age is 31 years and 41% of our officers are bilingual.
We’re located near where the Salinas River ends its journey through its great valley to the Monterey Bay. Thanks to the rich soil, climate, and hard-working, talented people, it’s one of the most fertile and agriculturally productive regions on earth.
This has been the home of Esselen and Ohlone Indians, Spanish missionaries and ranchers, American frontier people, and immigrants from Latin America, Japan, the Philippines, Switzerland, and the world over. It was the birthplace of John Steinbeck, who set his novels East of Eden and Of Mice and Men in the Salinas Valley.
We are accountable to each other and to the residents we serve; they are the source of our authority. We communicate openly and honestly among ourselves and with the community. We understand the importance of community values and expectations. We acknowledge our mistakes and are open to constructive criticism. We manage our resources effectively. We thoroughly investigate complaints against our employees.
They are non-negotiable. We hold our values constantly before us; to teach and remind both our department and the community, of our ideals. In fulfilling our mission, we need the support of our citizens, elected representatives, and city officials in order to provide the quality of service our values commit us to provide.
We believe that cooperation and teamwork will enable us to combine our diverse backgrounds, skills, and styles to achieve common goals. We work as a team. We understand our role in achieving department and community goals and objectives.
We share our responsibility to serve the citizens of Salinas with many other agencies and organizations. We strive to understand those who disagree with us. We seek the help and cooperation of others. We seek to resolve conflicts. We rely on community support and involvement. We work toward realistic, mutually agreed upon goals.
We value human life and dignity above all else. We give first priority to situations which threaten life. We use force only when necessary. We treat all people with courtesy and respect. We are compassionate and caring.
We are most efficient when we help identify and solve community problems. We work to anticipate and prevent problems. We give high priority to preventing crime and helping citizens feel safe.
We actively seek opinions and ideas from others. We plan, analyze, and evaluate. We recognize that crime is a community problem. We listen to problems and complaints with empathy and sensitivity. We seek innovative solutions.
We believe integrity is the basis for community trust. We are honest and truthful. We are consistent in our beliefs and actions. We hold ourselves to high standards of moral and ethical conduct. We are role models for the community.
We are capable, caring people who are doing important and satisfying work for the citizens of Salinas. We respect, trust, support, and care about each other. We enjoy our work and take pride in our accomplishments.
We are disciplined and reliable. We keep our perspective and sense of humor. We balance our professional and personal lives. We consult the people who will be affected by our decisions. We have a positive, “can do” attitude. We cultivate our best characteristics: initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, patience, competence, judgment, compassion, and understanding.
We believe in the principles of our constitution. We recognize the authority of Federal, State, and local laws. We respect and protect the rights of all citizens. We treat all persons fairly and without favoritism. We are knowledgeable of the law. We enforce the law. We obey the law.
We strive for personal and professional excellence. We do our best. We have a vision for the future. We seek adequate resources: staffing, facilities, equipment, training, salaries, and benefits. We recruit and hire the best people. We train and develop our employees to their highest potential. We are committed to fair and equitable personnel practices. We provide organizational mobility. We recognize and reward good performance. We support reasonable risk taking and are tolerant of honest mistakes. We are receptive to new ideas and to change. We lead by example.
The Salinas Police Department supports its officers through exemplary training, resources, technology, comradery, and opportunities. From the first day of your career, you will receive premiere law enforcement training at our basic training academy. Upon graduation, officers are encouraged to take as many specialty training courses as they want throughout their career to help them get assigned to one of the 50+ specialty units in the department.
Henry Ward Beecher