Mission Statement

It is the responsibility of the Franklin Police Department to protect and serve the people within the city limits of Franklin. It is also our responsibility to protect the rights of all persons within our jurisdiction, to be free from criminal attack, and to be secure in their possession and to live in a peaceful community.

We are to enforce the law in a fair and impartial manner, recognizing both the limitations of police authority and the constitutional rights of all persons

The prevention of crime shall also be one of our responsibilities. Community involvement is essential for the prevention of crime. There must be a free flow of information between the public and the police, mutual understanding of identification of problem areas, and public support for crime prevention efforts.

The deterrence of crime shall also be a basic responsibility of the Franklin Police Department. While there are certain crimes that cannot be deterred, most crimes can be reduced by police patrol. It can be curbed by the criminals' fear of immediate apprehension or by the increased likelihood of his/her detection.

We must inspire public confidence in our ability to ensure a peaceful environment. We must achieve a balance between the desirable deterrent effect of a highly visible patrol and the undesirable appearance of oppression.

Apprehension of offenders is another responsibility of the Franklin Police Department. Once a crime has been committed it is the duty of every member of this department of initiate the criminal justice process by identifying and arresting the offender, to obtain necessary evident, and to cooperate in his prosecution. The department must strive to solve all crimes and bring the offender to justice.

Recovery and return of property shall also be the responsibility of the department. It could not be a dollar value assigned to the broken bodies, ruined lives, and human misery, which are the products of crime. The cost of crime must ultimately be born to its victims. To minimize losses due to crime, this department shall make every reasonable effort to recover lost or stolen property, to identify its owners and to ensure prompt return.

Safe and expeditious movement of traffic is one of our objectives. To achieve this objective we must enforce traffic laws, investigate traffic accidents and direct traffic as necessary. We shall appropriately warn cite, or arrest traffic violators to enforce the law and prevent accidents. Traffic accidents are investigated to protect the rights of the parties involved, to care for the injured, and to determine the causes of accidents. Our efforts will be directed to help our citizens arrive as easily and safely as possible at their destination.

Public service shall also be one of our responsibilities. Often because there is not other assistance available, the community relies upon the police department for assistance and advice in many routine and emergency situations, which may develop. For this reason we will respond to many incidents where no arrest is expected. Saving lives and aiding the injured, locating lost persons, keeping the peace and providing other miscellaneous needs and our department will provide basic services. Our department will respond to such calls for service and render such aid or advice as necessary or as indicated by the situation.