Love Island’s Sean Reifel Says He Isn’t Returning To Police Work

Officer Sexy Pants is handing in his badge. After discovering what his hometown mayor had to say about his decision to take time off for Love Island USA Season 8, Sean Reifel says he is no longer “comfortable” returning to his former police job. Instead, he’s looking into a different civil service profession so he can continue to help his community without acquiescing to the “dehumanizing” demands of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, mayor J. William Reynolds.

Reifel tells Elite Daily that his initial plan was to return to the Bethlehem police department after using up his vacation PTO and unpaid leave for Love Island. While he was aware that being away for too long would result in a voluntary resignation, he spoke with the department about adding extra shifts to his schedule upon returning to make up for missed time.

So he was surprised when Mayor Reynolds released a statement that he was “disappointed” in Reifel for choosing a reality show “over being a police officer” — but that didn’t deter Reifel from his initial plan to return to the force. It was a follow-up interview with Reynolds, which TMZ published on June 10 right after Reifel’s elimination, that caused him to change his mind.

“I didn’t like the second conversation,” Reifel says. “He said, ‘If he wants to come crawling back,’ or something along that line. I don’t know if ‘crawling back’ was his direct quote, but it just felt dehumanizing.”

The TMZ interview did not use any direct quotes from Reynolds. The outlet instead summarized an interview with Reynolds, claiming in its writing that the Bethlehem mayor had basically said, “If [Reifel] comes crawling back, he’ll have to reapply ... and the employment process will be the same as it is for anyone else trying to join the force.”

Reifel says this sentiment has led him to pursue a different career path. “I was in the process of trying to figure out getting that job back, but at this point, I just don’t feel comfortable,” Reifel says. “I don’t understand why it got to that level. But the plan right now is to use this platform I’ve got, which I’m super grateful for, and see how much I can give back to people. And I’m also looking towards transferring into nursing.”