NAACP calls for change after investigation into Quakertown chief's brawl with protesters ends in no charges
Civil rights leaders in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are calling for changes to use-of-force guidelines in the wake of an investigative report that found no criminal conduct in the Quakertown police chief's Feb. 20 brawl with student protesters.
Viral videos captured multiple angles of the brawl this winter, after students who became known as the "Quakertown Five" walked out of school and held signs in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The videos captured Police Chief Scott McElree, who was not in uniform and had been driving an unmarked car, get into a physical altercation with some of the teenage demonstrators. McElree, who was not wearing a body camera, ran into the crowd and appeared to put one student in a chokehold. Five students were charged in the incident.
This week, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said in a report that McElree's use of force was not criminal but caused trauma in the community. The DA also criticized the chief's actions as "ill-advised."
"Not criminal does not mean that it was appropriate ... accountability means examining judgment, leadership, training, supervision," Adrienne King, president of the Bucks County NAACP, said in a news conference Friday. You can watch the full press conference on our YouTube page.
Though McElree is back at work and the investigation has concluded, state lawmakers and leaders of the Bucks County NAACP say they are not closing the conversation. They want Quakertown to adopt countywide use-of-force guidelines passed in 2020 for police departments in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.
According to the DA's report, the use-of-force guidelines have been adopted by most police departments in Bucks County, but not Quakertown.
"We have the reports. We have the recommendations. What we need now is action. The question is simply no longer who will be charged. The question is now what will change in Bucks County so we don't find ourselves here again," King said.
Other reforms the NAACP is looking into include closing loopholes around the use of chokeholds, and looking at consistent, statewide use-of-force standards for police departments. A state lawmaker said he'll push for more funding for body cameras and independent investigations into use-of-force incidents.
NAACP leaders say they have not spoken to McElree, but said they did receive a call from someone within the Quakertown Police Department, and they intend to call them back.
The group also sent a message to young people in the community, saying not to let the events of Feb. 20 prevent them from speaking out.