By Tom Lisi, LNP, Lancaster, Pa. (TNS)

Three Democratic candidates for the Manheim Township Board of Commissioners want an outside entity to investigate the April 30 traffic stop by police Chief Duane M. Fisher caught on a security video, according to a letter they released publicly Tuesday.

The three candidates who signed the letter — banker Sam Kulp, engineering consultant Marilyn Zenko and environmental consultant Jeremy Zimmerman — wrote that public reports of the incident could harm the community’s trust in the township’s police department.

“While we understand that one video clip and some testimonies demonstrated part of the story, the evidence suggests significant cause for concern on the professionalism demonstrated by the chief which impacts the community’s trust for the department,” the letter says.

• More: Lancaster DA won’t investigate off-duty police chief who pulled gun on motorcyclist

The three Democrats sent the letter, dated May 18, to the township board of commissioners on Sunday night before making it public Tuesday, Zenko said.

The three candidates were on the Democratic ballot in Manheim Township in Tuesday’s primary.

Township officials announced Thursday that Fisher was placed on paid leave pending the conclusion of an internal investigation, a day after LNP-LancasterOnline published security video of the stop. The video showed an off-duty Fisher in plain clothes getting out of an unmarked police vehicle and pointing a gun at motorcyclist Benny Peña-Rivera as he was parking his bike.

Last week, a prosecutor agreed to drop criminal charges against Peña-Rivera, including aggravated assault, a felony. Official police accounts claimed the 24-year-old assaulted Fisher, but the video evidence does not appear to support the allegation.

To date, Manheim Township officials have yet to provide any detail on the scope of the investigation or who is leading it.

On Tuesday, Zenko said an outsider leading the investigation would come with “a fresh pair of eyes, someone that doesn’t have a bias, or a perceived bias, really that’s what we’re looking at — looking at things in a holistic view.”

The Democratic candidates also wrote in their letter that the investigation should include consultation with the Manheim Township civil service commission.

The commission oversees hiring and promotion for the township police and fire departments.