Doylestown Twp Police Respond To George Floyd's Death, Protests

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Doylestown Township Police Department on Monday issued a statement in response to the death of George Floyd, which has prompted widespread protests on racial equality and demands for an overhaul of policing practices nationwide.

The letter, which was sent by Chief Dean Logan and the department's officers and employees, said it is "apparent that the death of Mr. George Floyd has and will continue to bring about change across the nation."

The letter explains that all township police officers "undergo an extensive background investigation" and then must take an oath to enforce the law without consideration of a person’s race, color, sex, religious creed, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability.

"Many departments across the nation will be left scrambling to implement changes to meet new standards that will now become mandatory across the state. Our community can rest assured that the Doylestown Township Police Department will not be scrambling because our officers have been working under these standards for many years," the letter said.

Floyd died on May 25, after a Minnesota police officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes during an arrest. His death has sparked widespread protests across the nation, including in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and beyond.

Here is the full text of the Doylestown Township Police Department's letter:

Dear Resident.

It is apparent that the death of Mr. George Floyd has and will continue to bring about change across the nation. The failure of law enforcement to provide the basic protections afforded to all citizens is unacceptable under any circumstance.

All Doylestown Township police officers undergo an extensive background investigation prior to being offered the opportunity to become a member of the department. Each officer then takes an oath to support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to enforce the law without consideration of a person’s race, color, sex, religious creed, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability.

Many departments across the nation will be left scrambling to implement changes to meet new standards that will now become mandatory across the state. Our community can rest assured that the Doylestown Township Police Department will not be scrambling because our officers have been working under these standards for many years. Our officers undergo annual use of force training for both lethal and non-lethal weapons and participate in hands on training for self-defense and control tactics. Our officers have also been trained in verbal de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention.

This training means nothing if there is no oversight and there can be no oversight if we do not know what we are looking for. As the nation moves forward with more requirements on use of force reporting, it will be a necessity for all agencies to be consistent with what needs to be reported. In Doylestown Township the answer to that question is very simple. Our officers are required to submit written reports for each use of force incident which they witness or are involved in.

This includes any level of force, on any individual, who is less than 100% compliant with the officers’ request. Each use of force report is reviewed by one of our use of force instructors who will identify potential policy violations and/or training needs. The reviews are then sent to the administrative staff for a determination as to whether the level of force used was justified under the circumstances presented.

Doylestown Township police officers will continue to wear body cameras which serve many functions and in cases such as these, the body cameras become a law enforcement tool to try and provide transparency into what may have taken place. Our officers continuously show that they are compassionate individuals who are willing to sacrifice their safety for our residents. It is our moral and professional duty to reflect the values of our community, and we are proud and committed to upholding this obligation.

Respectfully:

Chief Dean Logan, Doylestown Township Police Barbara N. Lyons, Director of Public Safety Sgt. Charles Zeigler, Officer Timothy Reihl, Officer Joseph Zuchero, Officer Alex Weldie Sgt. R. Scott Jones, Officer Brian Maloney, Officer Patrick Furlong, Officer Matthew Hershowitz Sgt. Jeffrey Stich, Officer Jared Courts, Officer Donald Lawson, Officer Daniel Carr Sgt. Shaun Magee, Officer Jessica Whiteside, Officer Daniel Naftulin Cpl. Christopher Power, Det. William Mokriski, Det. Cory Caraballo Clerk Holly Dodson, Clerk Janet Casey, Crossing Guard Rose Reith