A former Bethlehem police officer has responded to the criticism he received for leaving the department to join the new season of “Love Island USA.”
Former police officer and Easton resident Sean Reifel, who resigned and had his last day at the department on May 20, was the first contestant eliminated from the Peacock dating show’s eighth season.
Chief Michelle Kott and Mayor J. William Reynolds, the latter of whom swore Reifel in in August, previously criticized his departure as the police department works to fill vacancies.
Footage of the show’s first “Aftersun” segment appears to show Reifel reading Reynolds’ comments.
“I guess he’s upset. That’s interesting,” Reifel said on the show. “I definitely had to sit down with my job and told them exactly where I was going and what was happening, and they asked me to put in for unpaid leave. And my sister commented on it … ‘This could have been a great opportunity for the mayor and police department to connect with the community. Instead, they chose a response that will likely reinforce the stereotypes they should be working to change.’ “
Reifel went on to say in the footage that “it does bother me because they, just before I left, gave me awards for, with my partners, taking a lady out of a building on fire and talking someone off a roof that was mentally ill. So it’s like, to give me those and then do something like this, I just don’t understand. I don’t want to say anything bad about them, like I know things can be taken out of context. Everyone in the department knew where I was going.”