FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, QUAKERTOWN BOROUGH IS FREE AT LAST!
The Free Press, October 2, 2003

Borough council has made it official. The King is dead. In reality, he committed professional suicide on July 3rd, and has been a dead man walking ever since. Now last rites have been administered. Sic semper tyrannis. King James is dead - long live the council.

As expected, the Quakertown Police Affairs Committee has recommended sweeping changes in the way the police department is armed, and administered. The force will now have the same rules, and same weapons, as it’s neighbors. Officers will be free to assist, and ask for assistance. While this won’t qualify QPD as a cutting-edge innovator, at least it is no longer Chief James McFadden’s personal realm of non-cooperation. Citizens of the borough, and surrounding areas, should be thrilled.

McFadden brought all of this on himself. His ill-advised July 3rd letter to Richland Township, calling their officers “nosey” for offering assistance in the borough, started his downfall. Now there will be new rules permitting officers on the street to request assistance from other departments, or offer such aid, in their own discretion. Just like the neighbors. Not only does this take control from Mac, who opposed such cooperation, but it makes the statement that the Qtown force has good, responsible patrolmen whose decisions can be trusted. This should be a great boost for morale in a force which has long needed it.

As for allowing QPD officers to pursue suspects past the borough line, the committee found that there is no current policy to prohibit such chases. While patrolmen tell a different story, there should be no confusion in the future. If a chase starts in the borough, officers can continue outside. And, while council made a point of stating that Quakertown is a safe place to live and work, residents can feel even safer knowing that criminals can’t escape arrest just by making a run for the border.

Finally, QPD will now arm it’s men with more than the inadequate toys they have been burdened with. The obsolete .38-calibre revolvers will be replaced with new semi-automatic handguns. Each officer will carry pepper spray and a retractable baton. The shotguns which McFadden inexplicably removed from the patrol cars will be returned. Hopefully we have seen the last of an officer forced to use a flashlight to defend himself.

Jimmy Mac will be comin’ back, but he is no longer the King of Quakertown. He is just the police chief, an employee who answers to the borough manager, council, and the citizens who pay his salary. He has been sent a clear message: his isolationist policies were wrong, his personal control will no longer be tolerated, and - most important - council will continue to watch him.

Over the past few weeks, that council has taken a beating in this column. But when you are in a leadership position, and a major problem is revealed, criticism comes with the territory. On the other hand, timely and responsible solutions should be praised. Council avoided publicly blaming the chief, but acted to correct the problems once they were exposed. The proposed solutions are well thought out, and should be comforting to the citizens. More than that we can not ask of council.

But they gave us more. An important more. It wasn’t in the committee report. It wasn’t part of the official recommendations. It was a simple request by council president Ray Fulmer, who has taken the lion’s share of criticism. Fulmer asked that the Police Affairs Committee, which had been set up for the purpose of making these changes, be kept as a permanent part of council. A committee that will meet in the future. This was the most powerful statement of the evening. It said that council was not one-and-done on this issue. They will continue to monitor McFadden, and make sure that he follows the new rules. Council will now stay informed about a problem they had ignored for way too long.

Good for you, Ray. And good for you, Elfriede and Jim and the other council members who took their responsibility seriously. Instead of defending the indefensible, and protecting the guilty, they swallowed hard and did the right thing for the people who elected them. So, with council now in charge, will this be a humbling experience, and open Mac’s eyes to the value of cooperation? Not so far....

On August 13, Chief McFadden was stopped for speeding on 309 in Coopersburg. The Tracker system clocked him at 59.8 mph in a 35 zone. He had just gone through four giant yellow warning signs: “Aggressive Driver High Crash Area”, “Targeted Enforcement Area”, “Slow Down Save Lives”, and flashing yellow lights on a 35 mph speed limit sign.

The Upper Saucon officer gave Mac a break, only citing him for going 15 over, a 3-point offense. It should have been 4 points and a larger fine. So how did the former king respond to this kindness? The arresting officer made the following note on the citation, “Upon being advised of leniency, defendant stated ‘Well, I’m gonna have a hearing’.” And Mac refused to sign the citation.

The hearing was scheduled for September 22 in front of District Justice David Harding, a former police officer and friend of McFadden. Harding did not want to allow the media to see the citation, but finally did agree. McFadden then requested a continuance until October 29th. Quite a role model. Council can make new rules for McFadden’s conduct, but they can’t make him a new person.