About the Cambridge Police Department

Mission Statement:

The Cambridge Police Department is a dedicated and diverse group of professionals who are committed to working with the community to make the City of Cambridge a safe and desirable place to live, work or visit.  Out mission is to partner with the community to solve problems and improve public safety in a manner that is fair, impartial, transparent and consistent.

Vision: Cambridge can rely on a police department that is invested in the community, shares in its commitment to address the quality of life in the city and is committed to:  

• Delivering quality services to the community
• Having a clear sense of the strategic direction, overall mission, and core values of the organization.
• Playing an active role in shaping the community's sense of safety and well-being.
• Working collaboratively with a wide array of community agencies, service providers, and other interested parties in working towards matters of mutual interest.
• Building trust and enhancing the department's legitimacy in the eyes of the public by fair and impartial delivery of police services and enforcement of the laws.
• Serving as an integral, indispensable facet in solving community problems.
• Managing performance in a way that holds employees accountable for outcomes.
• Ensuring the well-being of its officers.    

Core Values: The members of the Cambridge Police Department conduct themselves in a manner that adheres to a core set of values, including:

Integrity: We are committed to the enforcement of laws and the preservation of order and property.  We are honest, truthful, and consistent in our words and actions, and therefore 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.  We are responsive to the community, and deliver services promptly and efficiently.

Fairness and Impartiality: 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 our actions, combined with the way we treat members of the community contributes to our "legitimacy" in the eyes of the public.

Teamwork: We work together as one organization in carrying out the mission of the department; our respective units do not act as distinct "silos" from one another.  As individual members of the department we are respectful to each other and work collectively to solve problems and serve the community.

Efficiency: We keep 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.

Advocacy and Empathy: We have compassion for victims of crime.  As members of the community, we have respect for and promote the diversity of the community.  We advocate for social and other supportive services for victims, youth, and others involved in the criminal justice system.

Police Officers' Accountabilities: The following statements were developed from a series of strategic planning exercises that took place with an independent facilitator.  It shoes the increasing levels of accountability within CPD's rank structure.

All police officers are responsible for addressing a wide range of public safety situations affecting the quality of life within the community.  They are accountable for:        ?    The quality of their problem-solving, decision-making, and judicial use of discretionary authority.

• The quality and professionalism of their communication and interaction with the community.
• Exercising judgment in a manner that is reassuring and responsive to the community.
• The treatment of victims an those in need of assistance in a manner that reflects the Department's values.
• The type of communication, cooperation, and coordination with their fellow officers.
• Conducting themselves in a  way that leads the community to perceive their actions as legitimate.    

The above was taken from "Cambridge, MA Police Department: Five-Year Strategic Plan (2016-2020)", March 2017, Interim Commissioner Brent B. Larrabee. (https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/policedepartment/FiveYearStrategicPlanMarch2017)