Pennsylvania Is on the Verge of Enacting a Bill That Could Hide the Identities of Cops Who Use Excessive Force

When officer Lisa Mearkle shot and killed 59-year-old David Kassick while he lay facedown on the ground, officials in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, released the officer’s name to the public almost immediately.

It was a strategic decision.

In a community of about 4,000 residents with a police department of only seven officers, not releasing Mearkle’s name would have put the entire department under suspicion. Instead, Mearkle was placed on leave, and her actions were subjected to public scrutiny. Fifty days after the shooting, she was charged with third-degree murder.

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