A Letter to the Residents of Abington Township

A Letter to the Residents of Abington Township

June 8, 2020

 

Dear Residents,

Over the last several days, I have received many inquiries about the established policies and procedures of the Abington Township Police Department. Most of these inquiries have focused on the Use of Force, Professional Standards, and related issues. To promote transparency, I have listed several critical policies and procedures that represent the most pressing concerns of our citizens below. These policies, along with others, will be published and available to anyone who visits our website (www.abingtonpd.org) on Tuesday, June 9th: Use of Force, Body Cameras, Professional Standards, Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, Citizens Complaints, Biased-Based Policing, Mental Health, etc.. These policies and procedures represent the best practices in policing today, and are a product of a collaborative effort with many organizations throughout our region and country. The Command Staff and I are working on releasing additional policies in the coming days. These additional Department Directives are a comprehensive representation of the over 400 policies and procedures that govern our actions as a proud and professional Department. I am confident that you will find these policies and procedures to be helpful and informative.

I know that there has been a reluctance to listen and understand each other over the years, and as a result, there is a troubling divide between our communities and their police agencies. We have to take advantage of this opportunity to bring police organizations and our communities together, as there is nothing more important than trust, mutual respect, and understanding. How can we continue to build that trust and foster better communication and collaboration between police agencies and our communities? While there are many things we can do moving forward, I believe a good first step is to publish these policies and procedures, and then listen to our citizens. Publishing these directives will promote a better understanding of what we as professional police officers do and how we approach protecting and serving our communities. It will also help our police agency better understand the concerns of our citizens as we work together to achieve common goals. I look forward to your feedback and working together to make meaningful changes where change is needed.

1.2.9 Bias Based Profiling
1.3.1 Use of Necessary Force
1.3.2 Use of Deadly Force
1.3.4 Use of Less Lethal Force
41.2.7 Mental Illness
41.3.8a Body Worn Camera
52.1.1 Complaint Investigation

Sincerely,

Patrick Molloy
Chief of Police