BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA — Sean Reifel resigned from the Bethlehem Police Department in Pennsylvania and was announced as a cast member for the eighth season of the reality television series "Love Island USA." The series premiered on Tuesday on the Peacock streaming platform.
Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds stated that municipal funds covered the cost of Reifel's police academy training. Reynolds also said the vacant police position cannot be filled until next year. The department has 16 officer vacancies, and the starting salary for a police officer in Bethlehem is approximately $70,000.
"I never thought I'd see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer." Mayor Reynolds said.
Police Chief Michelle Kott said, "Law enforcement agencies across the United States continue to face significant recruiting and retention challenges, and every vacancy affects our organization and the community we serve." "At this time, I don’t think there’d be a department that would be willing to allow someone to leave for ‘x’ amount of weeks to go on a television show when everyone’s hurting right now and overtime is being utilized to fill those gaps." Kott said.
Reifel, 29, is a single parent to a two-year-old son and is involved in a custody dispute concerning his son. Reifel said, "I'm not a model, not an actor, I'm a police officer actually." He said, "You could be having the worst day of your life, and I'll just help you sift through that."