TIOGA BOROUGH, Pa. (WETM) - The Pennsylvania Attorney General has sent a letter to the Tioga Borough Council President reminding the council to properly follow background check procedures while looking for a new police officer.
The AG's letter said the Borough never consulted the police hiring database before swearing Timothy Loehmann.
AG Shapiro said in the letter dated July 8, 2022 and addressed to Council President Steve Hazlett, that records in the Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission showed that Tioga Borough did not consult with the database to check for any past records on Loehmann when he was hired.
"To be clear," the letter continued, "
failure to thoroughly check a potential hire’s background, including searching the database for any past disciplinary activities, is a violation of state law." Specifically, the letter said the Borough's actions violate Act 57 of 2020, which requires "thorough background investigation."Shapiro went on to say, "Y
our failure to run this required check erodes the public’s faith in your leadership and the public’s trust in the officer you ultimately select. The public deserves to have every confidencethat the men and women serving in uniform have been rigorously vetted and have duly earned their
positions."
Tioga Borough was the center of harsh scrutiny after ex-Cleveland officer Timothy Loehmann was sworn in on July 5. Loehmann made national headlines in 2014 when he shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland.
Less than two days after his swearing in, he withdrew his application from Tioga Borough.
The AG's full letter to Tioga Borough can be read below:
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