On February 28, 2022, the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission (Commission) unanimously approved its latest round of recommendations related to police-involved shootings, other uses of force, and bias-based policing. This first of its kind Commission is aimed at reviewing and improving policies within commonwealth law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction including, but not limited to, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the Department of General Services Capitol Police, and the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) Park Rangers.

The Commission reviews completed internal investigative findings to determine if they were prompt, fair, impartial, complete, and performed in a manner consistent with applicable policies. They also consider whether adjudicatory findings or any imposed discipline were reasonable under law enforcement protocols and whether any policy or training deficiencies exist. All final reports of the Commission, along with covered agencies’ responses, will be available on the Commission’s webpage when completed.

Recommendations related to citizen engagement and enhancements to training and investigations procedures include, but are not limited to, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Response by Law Enforcement, Use of Force Enforcements, and Enhancements to PSP’s Early Intervention Program.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Response by Law Enforcement – Where feasible, PSP should consider enhancements to its policies and training (based on best practices) concerning encounters with and responding to service calls involving citizens in mental health and/or substance abuse crisis situations, which includes seeking the assistance of mental or behavioral health and substance abuse crisis intervention specialists whenever possible.

Use of Force Policy Enhancements (De-escalation) – DCNR should consider enhancing its Use of Force policy to include a definition of “reasonable force” consistent with United States Supreme Court precedent. DCNR should also consider requiring de-escalation protocols, when feasible, consistent with DCNR’s training (which mirrors a similar recommendation concerning PSP’s Use of Force policy adopted by the Commission on December 10, 2021).

Enhancements to PSP’s Early Intervention Program – PSP should consider updating its Early Intervention Program (EIP) policy to require bi-monthly inquiries to identify EIP candidates who may be engaging in racial or ethnic discrimination, bias-based policing, and/or racial insensitivity and should consider mandating remedial training following administrative investigations and adjudicatory findings of bias-based policing.

Reports of abuse within law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction may be anonymously reported by filing an online complaint or calling the Law Enforcement Oversight Tipline: 1-833-581-1692.

To view additional commission recommendations, click here.