{"id":210374,"date":"2026-06-04T09:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T09:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/210374\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T09:15:11","slug":"pennsylvania-mayor-calls-out-cop-who-gave-up-badge-to-star-in-love-island-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/210374\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Mayor Calls Out Cop Who Gave Up Badge to Star in ‘Love Island USA’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sean Reifel says he loved his job as a police officer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. But he still gave up his badge to join the cast of Love Island USA Season 8<\/a>. Now, the town\u2019s mayor is calling out the former cop for ditching patrolling the streets for poolside life in the villa.<\/p>\n

Police officer quits job to join \u2018Love Island USA\u2019 cast\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have anything against this individual personally,\u201d J. William Reyonds told TMZ Live<\/a> on June 1. \u201cBut from our point of view \u2013 it\u2019s like I tell my kid at the park. If you leave litter there someone\u2019s got to pick it up. And for us, who are struggling like every city across the country to attract and retain police officers, there\u2019s an opportunity cost when we invest money in somebody and then they decide to leave after eight or nine months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not even about him. It\u2019s just about this general idea that when we make decisions, there are consequences that affect other people,\u201d the mayor added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reynolds acknowledged that for some, the lure of fame might be strong. But he urged young people to consider their long-term goals and plans, as well as the value of working in a job that helps build community and give their life meaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cReality television<\/a> or what\u2019s best for you next week might not be what\u2019s best for your five or 10 years down the road,\u201d he pointed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That said, Reynolds is not too concerned that Bethlehem \u2013 a former steel-making hub with a population of about 75,000 \u2013 will be losing out on too many potential new police recruits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a great city, and I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to have an epidemic of people leaving for reality television shows,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police chief \u2018disappointed\u2019 by Sean Reifel\u2019s decision to quite force for reality TV<\/p>\n

Sean hasn\u2019t weighed in on the mayor\u2019s comments about his pivot to reality TV. But even though the proud dad<\/a> has walked away from police work, he says that helping people who were having a difficult time was one thing that he liked about his job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a model, not an actor. I\u2019m a police officer, actually,\u201d the 29-year-old shared in Peacock\u2019s \u201cMeet the Islanders\u201d teaser. \u201cYou could be having the worst day or your life, and I\u2019d just help you sift through that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean\u2019s former boss said that he was good at his job and that she was sad to see him leave the force.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Sean, he\u2019s a good guy, he was a great officer, but I\u2019m disappointed,\u201d Bethlehem police Chief Michelle Kott told The Morning Call<\/a>. \u201cJust because we work so incredibly hard to try to recruit the best people we can to be part of the Bethlehem Police Department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kott added that the department currently has multiple vacancies it\u2019s trying to fill. Granting Sean a leave of absence wasn\u2019t an option, she added, because it would put additional pressure on already strained officers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this time, I don\u2019t think there\u2019d be a department that would be willing to allow someone to leave for \u2018x\u2019 amount of weeks to go on a television show when everyone\u2019s hurting right now and overtime is being utilized to fill those gaps,\u201d she said. \u201cOfficers are getting burnt out. It\u2019s just a bad look to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Love Island USA Season 8 premieres Tuesday, June 2 at 9 p.m. ET\/6 p.m. PT on Peacock.<\/p>\n

For more\u200b\u200b news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet\u2019s Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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