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In a 4-3 vote on Thursday, Feb. 17, the Yeadon Borough council removed police chief Anthony Paparo for allegedly overspending on overtime hours, which cost taxpayers $387,000, his attorney, Harold Goodman, said in a letter.
Paparo is accused of overscheduling part-time officers in 2019 and 2020, thus violating the terms of the police union's collective bargaining agreement, the letter states.
He scheduled the cops for a total of approximately 6,200 hours of overtime, according to the letter. "The hours that put me over, are the hours I trained police officers for," Paparo said during the meeting, adding that he had entered the minutes incorrectly.
Paparo's supporters criticized the council's decision, saying the allegations against him were racially motivated.
They accused the council of attempting to replace him with a black candidate and even started a petition to back up their claims, PhillyVoice reports.
The council members who voted to remove him stated that he was removed because of his money mismanagement, not because of his race, according to a Facebook live stream of the meeting.
Paparo's attorney expects to hit the borough with legal action, according to Fox 29.
Lieutenant Shawn Burns was elected as interim police chief, multiple news outlets reported.
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