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Panel Clears Quakertown Police Chief in Student Protest Clash

The review urges visible ID for plainclothes officers.

Overview

  • The independent chiefs’ review, released late Thursday, found Quakertown officers acted within policy and showed restraint.
  • During a Feb. 20 walkout against federal immigration enforcement, about 35 to 40 students protested and five teens were arrested on aggravated assault charges.
  • The report said a higher level of force would have been justified and noted the chief suffered fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and a cut to his ear.
  • A still image that appeared to show a chokehold was deemed misleading by the panel, while video reviewed by The Inquirer shows the chief holding a 15-year-old by the neck for at least seven seconds.
  • Bucks County prosecutors have withdrawn felony counts for at least two teens, the district attorney’s investigation remains open, and the state attorney general declined to take over the case.