Bellefonte’s longtime police chief resigns as turmoil continues. ‘This needed to be done’

Bellefonte’s top cop stepped down Monday in the wake of two of his former officers resigning, including at least one who faced termination if he did not voluntarily leave.

Borough police Chief Shawn Weaver resigned Monday after leading the department for more than 18 years. In a statement shared with the Centre Daily Times, Weaver wrote it was “time for me to end my service” after a career that spanned nearly 30 years.

His exit came after officer Jason Brower was slated to be potentially fired during the March 18 borough council meeting, but he resigned hours beforehand. Officer Matthew Pollock resigned in February.

Weaver’s letter, in part, read as a defense of his response to allegations in the police department, which he did not describe.

Borough leaders have remained mum on the reasons for the officers’ departures, and it was not addressed by Borough Council during its public meeting Monday. No residents spoke.

“It wo(u)ld not be truthful of me if I said that these past few months had nothing to do with my decision. My overall well(-)being and that of the Department will benefit from this,” Weaver wrote. “I have served all of my life, in one form or (another). This decision has given me mixed feelings and many sleepless nights. However, in the big picture of my life, this needed to be done.”

Neither Borough Council nor Mayor Gene “Buddy” Johnson approached him about resigning, Weaver wrote. He also wrote he was not forced to resign.

Borough Manager Ralph Stewart, council President Kent Bernier and Johnson each have declined to share context about Pollock and Brower’s departures. When asked last week if Brower’s resignation stemmed from something criminal in nature, Weaver said it did not.

Neither of the officers’ resignation letters was made available to the CDT, which submitted three Right-to-Know requests seeking further information on the officers.

The reasons behind both departures are not publicly known. When asked last week if his office is investigating any allegations made against either officer, Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna deferred to state police at Rockview. A message left Friday with a department spokesman has not been returned.

“We won’t comment on matters that are under investigation unless there is a public issue that needs to be addressed,” Cantorna wrote Friday in a text to the CDT.

Weaver’s letter did not name either Pollock or Brower. Instead, he wrote generally and addressed only the “issues/allegations that came to light.”

An internal investigation began immediately and “legal actions” were taken in accordance with the department’s collective bargaining agreement, employment guidelines and borough regulations, Weaver wrote.

“At no time prior to, nor during the internal investigations, was public safety at risk,” Weaver wrote. “The disciplinary process for two employees from start to finish was complex, time consuming. The process was done in a legal manner. The process was fair. The process was (proper).”

The borough has not yet decided who will become the de facto interim police chief. When asked Monday when he’d like to see that decision made, Johnson said “soon.”

Hiring decisions are made by Borough Council. Johnson oversees the department.

The resignations of Pollock, Brower and Weaver put strain on a department that began the year with 10 full-time officers. With longtime borough police officer Robert Igoe retiring from the department in January, 40% of the department has left the force since the New Year.

“The recent past months have been very trying for not only the Department as a whole, it has put a strain on the officers who are currently working,” Weaver wrote.

Despite the exodus, it does not appear the borough’s leaders are giving serious consideration to disbanding its police department in favor of state police coverage, which sometimes happens in smaller municipalities across the commonwealth.

Bernier, a former state trooper, told the CDT last week that the borough is in the process of testing and hiring additional police officers. Weaver wrote the department plans to “backfill the current vacancies.”

The mayor, meanwhile, said the department is “doing a very nice job of banding together and staying strong for our community.” He reiterated his confidence in the department Monday after the borough council meeting.

“The Bellefonte Police Department is community-based and is integral to the community,” Johnson said last week when asked about the potential of dismantling the department. “They do a lot of good things for the great community of Bellefonte, so I would be shocked — and I can’t imagine there being no local police force to help support and protect the Bellefonte community.”

State law does not require municipalities to maintain a local police department. About half the municipalities in the state rely fully on the state police.

Troopers provided full-time coverage to 1,303 municipalities in 2023, up about 1.7% from a decade prior. Last year, 840 municipalities had full-time coverage through a local police department.

State police provided part-time coverage last year to 417 municipalities, including Bellefonte. The department’s budget for this year is $1.86 million.

Weaver described the department’s remaining officers as a dedicated, highly motivated group and expressed optimism that the embattled department will persevere.

“The (department) has some work cut out, however I know that each and every officer there will work nonstop and are totally dedicated to the community in which they serve,” Weaver wrote. “They are more than up to that challenge.”

Council’s next meeting is scheduled for April 15.