NEED TO KNOW
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A Pennsylvania town's mayor and police chief have spoken out about the firing of an officer who joined the new season of the reality show "« Love Island" (Love Island USA).
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Sean Reiffel is one of the new cast of singles looking for love on the Peacock series.
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Season 8 Premiere Love Island USA will take place on Tuesday, June 2.
The mayor of a Pennsylvania town expressed his dissatisfaction with a reality TV contestant. Love Island USA , who he said quit the police to take part in the reality dating show.
On Friday, May 29, just one day after the Season 8 cast was announced, Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds announced that contestant Shawn Reifel, who discussed his work as a police officer in the season's final teaser, had resigned from the Bethlehem Police Department to take part in the show, WHTM reports. "Our police department spent a great deal of time training him, and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars for his police academy training. We are disappointed to see him leave, as we now have another vacancy in our department that cannot be filled until next year," Reynolds said, according to the local publication.
«"I never thought I'd live to see the day in America when being on reality TV would be more important than being a police officer," he added.
Sean David Fiefel on "Love Island USA." Photo: Ben Simons/PEACOCK
Earlier, the Boston Police Department announced that Reifel would be sworn in in August 2025, posting photos on Facebook of the reality TV star shaking Reynolds' hand after being sworn in. At the time, the department wished him "success in his journey of serving our community.".
PEOPLE magazine contacted the Boston police. A representative of the reality show Love Island USA declined to comment.
Police Chief Michelle Cott called the departure "extremely difficult" in an interview with the newspaper. The Morning Call on Saturday, May 30. "I love Sean, he's a good guy, he was a great officer, but I'm disappointed," Cott said, confirming that Reifel's last day with the department was May 20. "Simply because we work incredibly hard to attract the best people to the Bethlehem Police Department.".
As the newspaper reported The Morning Call Citing Cott, city officials are discouraging leave for additional work because, according to department representatives across the country, they are "struggling" to fill vacancies. "At this point, I don't think any department would be willing to allow someone to 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 those gaps. Employees are burning out. In my opinion, that's not a good look," Cott said, adding that Reiffel could always reapply if he wanted to return to work.
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Sean Reiffel and Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds in August 2025. Photo: Bethlehem Police Department.
In a separate statement published by the publication The Morning Call , the mayor said, "People can do what they want, but our mission in the city of Bethlehem is to have a fully staffed police department, and we take that responsibility very seriously.".
While residents of the city expressed dissatisfaction with Reifel's decision to take part in the show, some commenters on the page The Morning Call Facebook users did not support the mayor's statement. One reader wrote that the department "should support and benefit from the fame it has received thanks to «"Island of Love »"," while another noted that they "missed a great PR opportunity" following the casting news. "Put out those 'we have hot cops' stickers and be positive and funny about it," they wrote. "The mayor and police chief need to live their lives a little.".
In a teaser for the show "Meet the Islanders," Raiffel confirmed he's not a "model" or an "actor," but a police officer. "You could be having the worst day of your life, and I'm just going to help you get through it," he said. "The more thoughtful you are, the more beautiful it will seem. I like that.".
Raiffel, from Easton, Pennsylvania, was announced by Peacock as one of the first 12 single contestants to join the villa in search of romance. He is also the father of a son, who, according to his Instagram, was born in June 2024.
Ariana Madix will return as host for season eight. "The show has really taken off in a way it never had before," she told PEOPLE magazine in May 2026. "And to be able to say that I'm not only the host of my favorite show, but the number one show on all streaming platforms, whether it's series or unscripted, is something I'm really, really proud of.".
Premiere of the 8th season of the reality show Love Island USA will air on June 2 at 9:00 PM ET on Peacock.
Read the original article on People.