Regional Police Dept. On Firing Sgt: ‘We Are Sick Over This’

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Several townspeople spoke up at the Beaver Valley Regional Police Commission’s September 10 meeting calling for the reinstatement of fired Sergeant Derek Shipley. Commissioners told the crowd they had “agonized” over the decision, but appear to be standing by it.

It had been twelve days since BeaverCountian.com published “Clocked Out,” detailing how the commission fired Shipley over a disputed handful of hours on a single day. Shipley said he returned to patrol on the night of June 16 to make up time after arriving late for a scheduled shift — a claim the commission disputed, citing timecards, license plate reader data and text messages. The commission voted 8-1 to fire him on July 21, with Baden Councilwoman Becky Gallagher casting the lone dissenting vote. Weeks later, the state Department of Labor & Industry found his conduct didn’t rise to “willful misconduct” under state law, the first outside review of the dispute.

In This Article:

  • The $120 one resident pulled from his pocket to pay on Shipley's behalf.
  • What a constable said the commission should have done instead.
  • Why commissioners went behind closed doors for 40 minutes.

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John Paul
John Paulhttps://beavercountian.com/about-the-beaver-countian
John Paul is an award-winning investigative journalist and founder of BeaverCountian.com. He's been profiled by Vanity Fair magazine and featured in thousands of news articles, tv shows, and books. An avid adventurer, JP has traveled to all 50 states in his journey to explore our country and its people.
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