Why is Bucks County's sheriff working as a consultant for Falls Township? What we know

Falls Township is paying the Bucks County Sheriff more than $300 an hour for consulting services involving public safety and police matters.

While supervisors publicly said they hired Harran last December to do "some" personnel reviews that needed to be handled by a third party, Harran's contract authorizes him to perform administrative duties typically assigned to a police chief.

Harran was hired three months after Falls’ police Chief Nelson Whitney returned to work after he was suddenly placed on administrative leave in April 2022.

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No public reason has been given why Whitney was placed on leave beyond the township wanted to investigate allegations “regarding performance of his duties.” Falls officials have not released the findings of their investigation, which cost almost $75,000.

In an email response, a Falls Township spokeswoman said that Whitney requested the supervisors bring in a third-party consultant to oversee “the investigation, and supervisors agreed it was in the best interest of everyone involved.”

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The spokeswoman declined to comment further. Harran, who took over as sheriff last year, also declined to answer questions in June about his work for Falls stating he was not authorized to discuss it.

In a written statement in response for comment, Whitney said he recommended late last year that either the township manager or an outside law firm that specializes in public employment investigate a single “internal personnel matter.”

“I made this recommendation to protect the township from a potential retaliation claim,” Whitney said, adding he was not involved in the hiring of Harran.

Public documents, including ones obtained through Right to Know requests, raise questions about the nature of Harran’s work for Falls, including when it started.

Records show that Harran, who retired as Bensalem’s Public Safety Director last year, registered a business, Solutions 180 LLC, with the Pennsylvania Department of State on Dec. 14, 2022.

A copy of the professional service agreement for Solutions 180 LLC also shows it was signed on Dec. 14, 2022, five days before Falls supervisors voted unanimously to hire the company, a potential violation of the state’s Sunshine Law, according to Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association attorney Melissa Melewsky.

The consultant was brought in to do personnel reviews that needed to be handled by a third party, according to the township meeting minutes.

Harran, who earns an annual sheriff salary of $89,493 from Bucks County, was hired at a rate of $325 an hour, according to his agreement with Falls, which expires in December.

Billing records show that between Dec. 19, 2022 and May 24, 2023, Harran through Solutions 180 billed the township $11,781.25 for roughly 37 hours of work. The township said Solutions 180 did not submit any bills or invoices for June or July.

While the township redacted some descriptions, the work included reviewing files, meeting with the township officials including the manager, fire marshal, and police chief, reviewing a lieutenant contract, hiring and strategic plan meetings and reviewing files for hiring and employee reviews.

Whitney said that, at times, Harran has performed administrative work that previously was handled by his office or the township’s labor counsel.

According to his agreement, Harran serves as a “special consultant” to the township manager regarding matters of public safety and police matters including:

• Conducting internal investigations involving police department employees.

• Recommending if an investigation is warranted and if disciplinary action should be taken.

• Overseeing due process hearings as needed, according to the agreement.

• Conducting a “full review” of the department including its staffing, disciplinary processes, and nonoperational policies.

Falls chief placed on leave in 2022 Falls Township places Police Chief Nelson Whitney on paid leave pending investigation

The use of an outside consultant to perform duties that township officials routinely delegate to the police chief is “really unusual,” according to Brian Higgins, a former Bergen County, New Jersey police chief, and lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Internal affairs is a critical part of a police chief’s duties because it sets the tone for the department and its employees, Higgins said. Internal affairs also acts as an early warning system to identify officers with problematic behaviors and address them.

"(An outside consultant) having final say in internal affairs is really unusual," Higgins said. “It’s how they make sure they are playing by rules. It really is an integrity part of the policy department. It builds trust. It’s really how you keep the trust of the community.”

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County's sheriff is working for Falls Township. What he is doing.