Bucks County NAACP President Adrienne King stood outside the county courthouse in Doylestown on Aug. 7 and demanded that every police department in the county prove it adopted use-of-force reforms promised in 2020.

The press conference followed the Bucks County District Attorney's Office releasing a 20-page report on Aug. 3 that found Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree used a neck restraint on a 15-year-old girl for at least eight seconds during a Feb. 20 student protest against ICE. The report called McElree's decisions "calamitous" but recommended no criminal charges, in part because Quakertown never adopted the 15 use-of-force guidelines the Chiefs' Association of Bucks County recommended after the police custody death of George Floyd in 2020.

"No criminal charges cannot mean no accountability," King said at the press conference, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

King pointed to an NAACP analysis showing Quakertown was among 11 departments only partially complying with the guidelines as of 2024. The Inquirer reported King said 13 agencies had yet to update their policies as of the start of 2026. The discrepancy may reflect different time periods; the NAACP is calling for a full countywide accounting.

The DA's office backed the push. Spokesperson Manuel Gamiz told the Inquirer that DA Joe Khan considers adoption of the standards by all county agencies "a matter of unfinished business" he is committed to helping complete. The DA's office also confirmed Aug. 7 that Quakertown does not currently have updated policies in place.

That directly contradicts Quakertown Borough Solicitor Peter Nelson, who issued a statement the same day claiming the department has complied with the guidelines since they were first recommended. Nelson called the NAACP's assertions "misstatements" and said the borough reached out to the chapter to discuss what he termed a "misunderstanding of our policies."

McElree, 72, who also serves as Quakertown's borough manager, entered the Feb. 20 protest crowd wearing a tan quarter-zip sweater and blue khakis with no visible badge. Videos reviewed by the DA's office show no evidence he identified himself as police chief before physically engaging protesters. He has said he was protecting the girl's head, not restraining her. He did not respond to a request for comment.

The Police Chiefs' Association of Bucks County issued a statement Aug. 7 disagreeing with the report's "calamitous" characterization of McElree's actions.

State Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery), who chairs the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, announced Aug. 7 that the caucus will propose statewide reforms including use-of-force guidelines and expanded funding for body-worn cameras. The DA's report found some Quakertown officers, including McElree, were not wearing body cameras during the Feb. 20 incident.

About 20 protesters attended the Quakertown Borough Council meeting on Aug. 6 calling for policy changes, according to 6ABC. McElree left before public comment.

The Bucks County Peace Center announced four public "listening circles" starting the week of Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Quakertown Methodist Church, open to anyone affected by the Feb. 20 incident.