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Quakertown Residents Press Borough for Answers After Report Clears Police Chief in Student Protest Clash

The open county investigation now looms over calls for an independent review.

Overview

  • About 40 students who protested U.S. immigration enforcement on February 20 left Quakertown High School and later clashed with Police Chief Scott McElree, leading to five arrests.
  • An April 16 report from a panel of Bucks County police chiefs cleared McElree, calling him the victim and citing fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.
  • The panel said McElree was not clearly identifiable in plain clothes and urged visible badges for plainclothes officers and body cameras during similar events.
  • At a borough hall meeting, residents and defense lawyers called the review biased because it was led by neighboring chiefs and demanded a third‑party inquiry.
  • The Bucks County district attorney is running a separate investigation with no timeline for findings, and four teens have had felony counts dismissed but still face other charges.