COLUMBIA SPY

One bill requires departments to have a written use-of-force policy, make it public and train officers on it, while banning those use-of-force policies from including chokeholds. Currently, Columbia's use-of-force policy is not public. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-lawmakers-begin-passing-police-reform-bills/article_51bd4d20-31d2-5f98-ab27-9fd1e3645813.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share  

As Pride Month draws to a close, I would like to express my unconditional support to the LGBTQ community. I know I’m a little late to the party, but a lot of relevant events have unfolded in the last few weeks, and I wanted to address them. On June 12th, the Trump administration finalized a rule that dealt a major blow to the LGBTQ community. Our current administration’s HHS department stated that healthcare providers have the right to deny care to LGBTQ patients. This decision, announced on the 4th anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre and during Pride Month, can be interpreted as nothing but intentional. To remove such protections in the middle of a global pandemic is especially heinous. With more than 2 million cases of COVID-19 in the US and 8 million globally, exempting LGBTQ individuals from federal protections would certainly result in countless deaths among a community that already faces many forms of oppression. Those among the dead would include our families, neighb...

Lancaster County residents could soon have access to police communications, which have been restricted for the past two and a half years. In response to the George Floyd protests, County Commissioner Craig Lehman on Tuesday proposed reversing a 2017 decision to restrict public access to the system, which he voted against. The matter could go to a vote in early August. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/what-are-police-talking-about-on-their-encrypted-radios-the-public-may-soon-find-out/article_dac35474-b56f-11ea-8211-afebdcf56be5.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

After calling Black Lives Matter an organization filled with hate, violence and intolerance, the senior pastor of a Lancaster County-based church has apologized for the "inflammatory" statement in a sermon. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me," David Ashcraft, a senior pastor at Manheim-based LCBC, said in the sermon. LCBC stands for "Lives Changed by Christ." Ashcraft voiced his criticism of Black Lives Matter during a June 14 sermon, which was broadcast online with the potential to reach the church's about 17,000 weekly attendees. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/features/lcbc-church-founder-apologizes-for-inflammatory-comments-about-black-lives-matter/article_90745cda-b56d-11ea-9088-ab74074d3474.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share  

LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION Incorporated 1975 June 4, 2020 Statement from the Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association The Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association, representing 29 law enforcement agencies in Lancaster County, wish to express our sincerest condolences to the family of Mr. George Floyd. It is essential that our communities know that the police leaders of Lancaster County condemn the actions of the Minneapolis police officers who caused, and failed to prevent, the tragic death of Mr. Floyd. The actions of those officers are contrary to the values and principles of justice that we strive to instill in our police officers. The conduct is shocking, shameful, and criminal. We believe any offending officers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We concur with the leadership of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association when they wrote in part: "The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association (PC...