Another former cop sues Falls Township alleging he was terminated over whistle-blowing
A former Falls police officer is alleging the township and its supervisors engaged in an ongoing pattern of retaliation against him for assisting in a federal investigation.
Buckingham resident William Tanner IV alleges in a recently filed whistleblower lawsuit that his participation in the FBI investigation into the township and police department resulted in “unjustified” discipline and eventually his termination last year.
Falls Township declined comment on the lawsuit allegations Monday through its spokeswoman.
Tanner, who joined the force in 2016, alleges he had been a target since 2020 for retaliation after he reported potential wrongdoing and illegal conduct involving other police officers and “certain” Falls supervisors, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Bucks County Common Pleas Court earlier this year.
Tanner claimed he contacted the FBI and reported his information in August 2020 and a month later the FBI served the lawsuit’s defendants with subpoenas.
No one in Falls Township, the FBI or the U.S. Attorneys Office have publicly commented on the existence of an investigation involving Falls, though rumors of one have circulated since 2020.
The first confirmation of a federal probe came last year after Falls Police Chief Nelson Whitney alleged he was placed on administrative leave after notifying the township he received a subpoena to testify before the grand jury related to a federal investigation.
In the lawsuit, Tanner claims that it was known by the defendants that he had participated in the FBI's ongoing investigation of the township including providing additional information about alleged wrongdoing.
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In the lawsuit, Tanner alleges among the retaliation the township has taken against him is denying him an administrative hearing before imposing discipline against him.
He alleges it happened the first time following his Aug. 30, 2021 arrest on DUI charges. Tanner was off-duty and driving with more than twice the legal blood alcohol content when he rear-ended a vehicle in Buckingham.
Tanner was charged by summons with two misdemeanor DUI counts and a citation for careless driving in October 2021. He was admitted into a special nonviolent first-time offenders probation program last August.
In the lawsuit, Tanner alleges after he was denied an administrative hearing following his arrest and he was given a “more severe discipline than was recommended.” The discipline is not detailed in the suit.
Tanner filed a grievance with the police union and an arbitrator found the department improperly denied him an administrative hearing before imposing discipline and Tanner was “improperly punished for the off-duty transgression,” according to the lawsuit.
When Tanner returned to work from a 30-day suspension, he alleges the defendants continued “retaliatory action” by refusing to let him return to full duty status in January 2022, according to the suit.
He was initially placed on office duty, then administrative leave, again without an administrative hearing, in March 2022, for forwarding non-work related private messages through a social media service, the lawsuit alleges.
The meme he allegedly sent “depicted in a jovial manner” a medical incident involving a police officer, and the defendants were aware that Tanner had privately sent the meme to other police officers, the suit said.
When defendants learned about the meme, an internal investigation was opened into Tanner’s actions. The police lieutenant who conducted the review later found Tanner had not violated department policies, the suit claims.
Despite the investigation outcome, Tanner alleges he was told that he was under consideration for termination. He requested an administrative hearing, which he said was denied. A week later he was terminated, he said.
After his termination, Tanner said that he filed a second grievance against the township through the union. The grievance is pending a hearing and arbitration.
Tanner’s lawsuit is the latest complaint against the township and its police department alleging harassment, intimidation, retaliation and defamation.
Since 2019, a half-dozen current or former Falls police officers have filed litigation, including three of the department's four female officers.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Lawsuit alleges Falls targeted police officer for whistleblowing
