Quakertown Borough police Chief Scott McElree is back from leave after sustaining injuries in a clash with high school students at an ICE protest in February.
McElree is working reduced hours as both police chief and borough manager, Quakertown borough’s solicitor Peter Nelson wrote in a press release.
Borough councilmember Mike Johnson said on May 7 that McElree is working less than full time, but not part time.
Borough council made the announcement at a May 6 meeting, according to the release.
McElree, 72, has served as both chief and borough manager since 2007. There have been calls for him to step down following the police response to a Feb. 20 protest involving at least 35 Quakertown students that turned violent. The student protest was against tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
McElree was treated at a local hospital for face and rib injuries, according to a probable cause affidavit. Attorneys for students have also alleged that their clients were injured.
Quakertown solicitor Peter Nelson confirmed in a Feb. 27 email that McElree went out on workers’ compensation leave.
Bucks County DA investigation of Quakertown police conduct still pending
The fallout from the police clash with students, during which the police chief was dressed in plainclothes and not a police uniform, opened deep rifts in the local community as some residents advocated for either the police or the students. A group of residents continues to hold regular demonstrations to demand accountability from the local government for the treatment of the student protesters.
Among the most controversial aspects of the police handling of the student protest is McElree’s apparent use of a chokehold on a teen girl. Multiple videos from different angles show the police chief touching the Quakertown student’s neck both while standing and on the ground, where his forearm appears to cross her windpipe.
McElree has maintained that he was attempting to protect the head of a 15-year-old girl he alleges assaulted him when they fell to the ground during a tussle and referenced video which he said supports his statement.
A report by four local police chiefs found that Quakertown Borough police acted appropriately during the clash, though some local residents and lawyers for some of the students involved have said the chiefs’ report is misleading.
Among the issues lawyers had with the report is it did not address whether McElree violated a 2020 countywide use of force standard that bans the use of oxygen-restricting techniques to gain control of a subject. The report characterizes the apparent chokehold as a misunderstanding caused by a two-second video clip.
They also questioned the chiefs’ objectivity.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s investigation into the police handling of the clash is still pending. A spokesperson for DA Joseph Khan did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday afternoon.
