State reps discuss policing in Pennsylvania following the arrest of LGBTQ+ advocates 

Christopher Paris, commissioner of the state police, during a March 4 budget hearing hosted by the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee. (Screenshot: Pa House on YouTube)

During a public budget hearing hosted by the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee on March 4, leaders of the state police were asked to address the incident that led to the arrest of Celena Morrison — executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs — and her husband, Darius McLean — chief operating officer of William Way.

“Today while we’re gathered here for the proposed budget for the Pennsylvania State Police, it’s also an opportunity to talk in a broader sense about policing in Pennsylvania and those who consent to be governed in our commonwealth,” said State Rep. Jordan Harris in his opening remarks.

“It is extremely important that this hearing is held today to discuss policing, policing protocol, and what happens on our streets and highways across the commonwealth,” he said, noting that he expected the conversation around what he called “the disturbing and very troubling video that has circulated on social media” to result in actions.

“We have commissioned a full internal affairs investigation headed by two lieutenants brought in from a geographic different area that will head the team of that; thus, we are in the middle and have begun an internal affairs investigation — an ongoing investigation,” said Christopher Paris, commissioner of the state police, in his introductory statement.

“The trooper involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation which will be competent, thorough, and passed along with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for review,” he said.

What happened during this incident?

A state trooper pulled Morrison over for a traffic code violation on March 2 around 9 a.m. Although a portion of the interaction was recorded by Morrison, it is unclear what occurred before recording began. Pennsylvania State Police say that McLean, who was following Morrison in another car, pulled over behind the trooper’s vehicle during the stop. The trooper approached his vehicle before the situation escalated.

State police have been urged to release the trooper’s dash cam footage because he was not wearing a body camera — however, because McLean’s vehicle is behind the trooper’s, the dash cam might not answer many questions about the incident.

When asked about releasing the footage, a state police representative told PGN, “We’re not planning to release it at this time.”

Morrison’s sister, who was not present at the stop, later uploaded a video to Facebook that shows a portion of the encounter. In the video, the trooper can be seen kneeling on McLean’s back, shouting profanities at McLean and Morrison, and threatening to use his taser. Morrison can be heard accusing the officer of punching her and drawing his weapon. The pair was then arrested and detained for approximately 12 hours. 

An article published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on March 4 explains that state police “initially filed several misdemeanor and summary charges against Morrison and McLean, but the District Attorney’s Office declined the charges.”

“Jane Roh, spokesperson for the DA’s Office, said that no charging decisions have been made but that officials are investigating all aspects of the incident,” the article continues. “For now, the couple is not facing charges.”

The video, which is explained in greater detail in a previous article, has been called “very concerning” by Mayor Cherelle Parker and “alarming” by Councilmember Rue Landau, who described the video as “excessive force.”

What was discussed during the budget hearing?

After introductory comments were made, state representatives questioned state police representatives about a variety of budget concerns. Many of the Democrats used the opportunity to ask about personnel and scheduling choices, a lack of diversity in recruiting and hiring as well as promotions, de-escalation through the use of non-officer co-responding units (such as social workers), DEI and excessive force training, the use of body cameras, and other topics related to the March 2 incident.

Body Cameras
Representative Ben Waxman noted that the officer involved in the March 2 incident wasn’t outfitted with a body camera. Paris explained that the decisions about how to roll out body cameras was left to IT and logistics professionals.

“But just to be clear for folks who are following at home, there is funding for every state trooper to have a body camera — is that correct?” Waxman said. “And the funding has been there for how long?”

Paris noted that a contract was awarded in 2022 that called for a five-year appropriation of $44 million.

“Just to be clear — it does sound to me that the issue is not the funding. The funding is available,” Waxman said. “This is implementation and that’s what is delaying the rollout of this statewide.”

“Right now, there are no troopers in Philadelphia County wearing body cameras, is that correct?” asked Waxman. George Bivens, deputy commissioner of operations, confirmed this and noted that the state police is expediting the rollout — explaining that body cameras should begin to appear in Philadelphia County over the next three to four weeks and underlining that all officers should be wearing them in approximately two months time.

Republican representative Torren Ecker prompted police representatives to discuss how body cameras are useful for officers.

“What it does is it preserves all sides of the story,” said Bivens, who added that the state police welcomes the use of this technology. “Now, there’s always additional information to be collected — but we think it will be very useful and add even more transparency moving forward.”

Training
“What is the focus on community policing — and to that end, how much training is focused on the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities? And what is the PSP doing to ensure these trainings have a desired impact?” asked Rep. Gina Curry.

Paris noted that cadets are instructed on the history of policing in the United States during their first weeks of training, that they should be aware of their implicit and explicit bias, and that it is the state police’s goal to offer professional services “without regard to class, color, creed or condition.”

“The Quality and Inclusion Office of PSP conducts annual training,” he said. “I believe we’re the only state agency that does it in person every other year — and those topics are covered as well and reinforced. We have a zero tolerance policy, and it’s our goal that every person feels they’re treated fairly and has equal access to our services.”

Curry added that the stop that led to the arrest of Morrison and McLean was a type of “broken windows” policing — targeting infractions that tend to affect people with marginalized financial experiences (such as the broken tail light or an expired registration).

“The studies show that it’s not the most beneficial on highways, so I’m wondering if you can talk about that,” she said. 

Paris responded by claiming that a study showed that the Pennsylvania State Police was not pulling people over in a way that showed bias. He added that the state police also seeks to address issues of drug and human trafficking during traffic stops.

“We have seen some of our citizens across the commonwealth lose their lives by a state trooper,” said Rep. Morgan Cephas. “We should be using these incidents to reassess our policies and procedures and what we can do better to increase transparency, to increase the trust of the public, and that we are absolutely going after bad actors and that we’re doing it in a way with dignity and respect to both parties.”

She noted that municipal officers are required by state law to undergo annual training that includes deadly force, de-escalation and harm-reduction techniques. She asked Paris to talk about their own training requirements, and noted that state troopers are required to re-certify their use of force tools (guns, tasers, batons) and hands-on skills with scenario-based training that includes de-escalation.

Excessive force, misconduct and investigations:
“How many use-of-force incidents have the state police had in the last year?” asked Rep. Abigail Salisbury. 

Paris was unsure of the number. He noted that an internal affairs system tracks these issues and that early intervention programs offer training to those who are flagged.

“This past year, we had 13 trooper-involved shootings,” Paris later explained.

“We’re transitioning to a new firearm, which will have a “red-dot” sight,” said Paris, which he believes will help troopers in high-stress situations evaluate threats, confirm the need for use of force before shooting, and allow for more opportunities to de-escalate. Red-dot sights are known for improving aim, and this could mean fewer fatalities if officers shoot without intent to kill.

Salisbury asked how much money per year was spent on litigation that resulted from excessive force complaints. Although Paris was unsure how much money the department spends on the jury trials or settlements, he confirmed that this money comes from the state police budget itself — not from an insurance policy — meaning it’s funded by tax-payers

“Is there a policy of directive on the use of profanity when interacting with a civilian from a police officer?” asked Harris.

“It would fall under an unbecoming conduct section, which is codified, and we would expect our troopers to be professional,” Paris said, adding that it is never appropriate or professional to use such language when interacting with civilians. “It would be investigated and discipline would result.”

Representative Napoleon Nelson noted that state police should do more to build trust with the communities they serve, urging units to adopt the same policies and expectations specific communities have developed with their local officers. For instance, he said that state police should wear body cameras in municipalities where body cameras have become the norm of the local police force. 

“I would argue that the same expectation should be applied to investigations of police interactions,” he underlined — noting that because he would expect local police departments to release footage of interactions that are under investigation, he expects the state police to do the same.

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who was not present in these sessions because he was leading a different hearing, told PGN that the video was “deeply troubling.”

“As I said at the HRC dinner — we need a full, thorough, and expedient investigation into every aspect of this stop,” he said. “As co-chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, I’m grateful to be working hand in hand with Chairman Napoleon Nelson of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus in demanding answers.”

Best practices and new technologies
“Help me understand the sense that it makes to have one officer in a squad car making this stop,” Nelson said about why officers would work without a partner if the state police is concerned about serious crimes occurring during traffic stops. Bivens noted that often there aren’t enough troopers scheduled to support a buddy system — which Nelson asked the department to reevaluate.

During an earlier hearing to discuss the transportation department’s budget, Nelson also asked about the March 2 incident with a specific interest discussing how automated technologies could curb or prevent unnecessary interactions between drivers and police.

He praised the use of automated traffic enforcement, such as red light cameras, and asked Mike Carroll, Secretary of Transportation, to “talk about the ways that some of these automated enforcement mechanisms are helping by design make our roadways safer.”

Carroll called roadway cameras “wildly successful,” adding that roadway workers are eager to see similar technologies implemented more widely. He recognized that some people are wary of automated law enforcement (using technology without human interaction) — but added that the use of these technologies will make a positive impact.

“My suspicion is that as people become more understanding and accepting of those technologies, they will proliferate,” he explained.

“As you all reassess your policies and procedures as a result of what happened this past weekend, I’d love for you to take into consideration what our local city council has done around the Driver Equity Bill with prohibiting certain types of stops,” added Cephas, referring to a Philadelphia law that attempts to protect more marginalized drivers by limiting interactions. In its first eight months, Black drivers were pulled over half as frequently.

“If you could look at not just those policies but other policies my colleagues have introduced in this body that might not require the general assembly to pass legislation but are things you all could take on as policy,” she underlined. “I do think with these incidents, it doesn’t define the department but it does give us pause to see what we can do to ensure that transparency and community trust is placed back in our neighborhoods.”

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