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Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds is criticizing former police officer Shawn Reifel for leaving the force to appear on a reality TV show. «Love Island USA .
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«"Our police department has spent a lot of time on training, and we've spent thousands of dollars in taxpayer money on his training at the police academy," the mayor said.
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Season 8 Premiere Love Island USA will air on June 2 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on Peacock.
One of the new participants of the show Love Island USA has already managed to cause quite a stir.
Among the 12 contestants on Season 8 of the reality show is Shawn Reiffel, who revealed in his introductory video that he was a former police officer. Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds announced that Reiffel resigned from the Bethlehem police department to participate in the dating show.
«"Our police department spent a great deal of time training him, and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars for his training at the police academy. We are disappointed with his departure, as we now have another vacancy in the department that cannot be filled until next year," Reynolds said, according to local ABC television station WHTM.
«"I never thought I'd see the day in America when being on reality TV would be more important than being a police officer," the mayor added.
Sean Reifel on the show «Love Island USA». Photo: Ben Simons/PEACOCK
Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Cott also responded to the casting announcement, expressing her disappointment. "I love Sean, he's a good guy, he was a great officer, but I'm disappointed," she said, according to The Morning Call. "Simply because we work incredibly hard to attract the best people to the Bethlehem Police Department.".
Cott also spoke about how police departments across the country are "struggling to fill vacancies," noting that city officials are discouraging their officers from taking on extra work due to concerns about burnout and overtime.
«"At this point, I don't think any agency would agree to let someone take a specific number of weeks off to appear on a TV show when everyone is already struggling, and overtime is being used to fill vacancies. Employees are burning out. In my opinion, this doesn't look good.".
Mayor Reynolds also told The Morning Call that "people can do what they want, but in terms of our mission in the city of Bethlehem, it is to have a fully staffed police department, and we take that responsibility very seriously.".
Reifel joined the police force in August 2025, and the police department wished him "success in his journey of serving our community." WHTM reported that Reifel has been out of the force since May.
Journalists Entertainment Weekly contacted the show's representatives Love Island USA , who declined to comment.
Sean Reifel on the show «Love Island USA». Photo: Ben Simons/PEACOCK
In his introductory video for the show, Love Island USA Dressed in green swim trunks and a matching shirt, Reiffel tells the audience, "I'm not a model, I'm not an actor. I'm actually a police officer.".
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He adds, "You could be having the worst day of your life, and I'm just going to help you figure it out. The more attentive you are, the more beautiful it will seem to me, and I really like that." Winner Love Island USA will receive an impressive $100,000.
Season 8 Premiere Love Island USA will air on June 2 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on Peacock.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.