Police chief explains “Protect the Rock” motto and four mission pillars

The Rock Springs police chief told the Rock Springs City Council that the department revised its mission statement about five years ago and now summarizes that work with the motto “Protect the Rock” (date not specified in the transcript).

The chief said the revision reduced a broader mission into four pillars that guide training and daily work. “We changed the mission statement at the Rock Springs Police Department,” he said, adding that it is summarized as “Protect the Rock.” He identified the pillars as protecting the people of Rock Springs through constitutional policing, earning the public trust, and caring for each other, and said new hires are walked through each pillar.

The chief described the motto’s visible uses: “You’ll see Protect the Rock on our police cars, on signs throughout the building, in some of our correspondence,” he said, calling it a reminder of the department’s purpose. Others in the meeting responded positively to the explanation.

No formal action or vote was recorded in the transcript. The chief’s remarks were descriptive of departmental branding and training rather than proposals requiring council action.