Constables shall not permit family, social, or other relationships to influence their official conduct or judgment, or to create the appearance of influence in the exercise of their official conduct or judgment, while in the performance of judicial duties. Constables performing judicial duties shall inform the Court Administrator of any situation creating undue influence or the appearance of undue influence.
Constables shall not use the resources, employees, property, facilities, time, or any funds under their control to improperly benefit themselves or any other person.
Use of Force - A constable's use of force shall be consistent with Pennsylvania law and in compliance with training and education provided by the Constables' Education and Training Board (C.E.T.B.). A constable shall never employ unnecessary force or violence and shall use only such force in the discharge of duty as is reasonable under the circumstances. While the use of force is occasionally unavoidable, every constable in the performance of judicial duties shall refrain from applying any unnecessary affliction of pain or suffering and shall never engage in cruel, degrading, or inhuman treatment of any person. A constable shall not fire, unholster, or otherwise remove a firearm from its holster in the performance of judicial duties unless the same is necessary for the defense of the constable or others in response to the threat or use of deadly force against the constable or another where the action is consistent with firearms training provided by P.C.C.D. or other safety training obtained by the constable*. In no event shall a firearm be unholstered for purposes of intimidation.
(*Note: Statements in this section provided by the Court as relating to use of force and constable training are not to be construed as the Court supporting or recognizing training methodologies beyond what is minimally required by statute, or providing justification for the use of force for any constable, and that a constable using force must be prepared, if necessary, to provide his or her own justification and explanation, possibly in a judicial proceeding based on a legal challenge, when deciding to employ force.)
1. Dress - All constables shall dress in customary law enforcement uniform or casual business dress while performing judicial duties. Denim jeans are considered neither customary law enforcement uniform nor casual business dress and are prohibited.