Lebanon City Police Chief Todd Breiner retires after almost 27 years of service

Lebanon Police Chief Todd Breiner has retired after almost 27 years of service as a law enforcement officer for the city, officials told the Lebanon Daily News Friday.

Breiner retired under the state's Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP, which he entered in February 2021, according to Mayor Sherry Capello. His last day on the job was Oct. 17.

"We value and appreciate his time in service," Capello said. "He had a nice long and tenured career with the Lebanon City Police Department."

Police Captain Bret Fisher was appointed Monday as interim chief, she said.

The Lebanon Daily News was not able to reach Breiner Friday morning for comment.

A native of Summit Hill in Carbon County, Breiner served a year for the small town's police department before coming to Lebanon in 1995. He rose steadily through the ranks working as a detective, sergeant and lieutenant before being named captain in 2009.

In July 2016, Capello officially appointed Breiner chief of the Lebanon Police Department after his predecessor, Daniel Wright, resigned to work with the Lebanon County Detective Bureau.

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Breiner also helped the department through a tragedy earlier this year. Lt. William Lebo, Officer Derek Underkoffler, Officer Ryan Adams, and Officer Kris McCarrick were responding to a domestic disturbance report on March 31 when a man opened fire on them. Lebo died the shootout with the man who had broken into a home on the 1100 block of Forest Street.

Lebo had more than 40 years of service and was 30 days from retirement.

"On that day, each of those officers put themselves second," Breiner said in a memorial service in May. "The death of Lt. Lebo and the injuries sustained by Officers Ryan Adams and Derek Underkoffler was absolutely devastating, and it still is."

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The DROP plan allows an employee eligible to retire to keep working. In exchange for continuing to work, an employer will set aside annual lump sum payments into an interest-bearing account.

Upon retirement, the employee receives the full value of that account in addition to the accrued pension benefits. Employees in the program continue to earn some retirement benefits, while the employer gets to keep their services without increasing the employee's pension payout.

Cappello said Briener's decision to retire was not a surprise to her since he was part of the DROP program.

"When he entered the DROP, he told me he wasn't sure when is end date would be," she said. "He didn't know if he'd stay a minimum of a year, or if he would go out to three years. And at the time, he said 'I'll know when I know.'"

City officials will be formulating a plan to pick Breiner's successor. Cappello said while it is the mayor's decision, city officials usually try to promote from within.

"We' have go through an evaluation process and determine what together we feel is the best fit for the police department," she said.

The next Lebanon City Council meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24. at the city hall building on 735 Cumberland St.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon Police Chief Todd Breiner retires after 27 years of service