Residents continued to complain this week at the Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors meeting over the continued employment of Police Chief Scott Fogel, following a $1.75 million settlement in a federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed by former township police officer Jessica Edwards, alleged that Fogel sexually harassed, physically accosted and retaliated against her during her five-year tenure.

The township paid $275,000 in back wages, while the remainder of the settlement was covered by the township’s insurance provider.

During the meeting Tuesday, resident Clay Cooper addressed the board, asking why retaining Fogel was not put on a referendum.

“He is a liability. That’s why we can’t get another insurance company. We need to get rid of him,” Cooper said, a sentiment echoed by many in attendance.

A petition has also been circulated asking for Fogel’s removal.

Supervisor Cindy Miller responded, “We were not allowed to talk about it,” while Supervisor Janet Sheats added, “Where were all you people before when all these things occurred?”

Union statement

On Thursday, the Lehigh Township Police Association, the police union, released a statement.

“The members of the Lehigh Township Police Association are committed to providing exceptional police services to the citizens and visitors of Lehigh Township,” the statement said. “Despite any internal challenges we are currently facing, we want to assure the community that we will continue to deliver the highest standard of service.”

In October 2023, the police association said it conducted a survey, including a vote of no confidence for Fogel, and requested a meeting with the board of supervisors to discuss the results.

“Our goal was to bring internal issues of the department to the attention of the board of supervisors and to collectively discuss solutions,” the association said. “We made several attempts to review the results with the board, but they refused to meet with us. Our most recent request was in January 2024, and although a meeting was scheduled, the board later canceled the meeting and has not rescheduled.”

The association said two additional officers have left the department, one citing declining morale.

“Following this, the Township retained Safe City Solutions LLC to review the department policies and procedures,” the association said. “On Jan. 28, 2025, we were given a new survey which all department members completed. The Safe City survey also included a question regarding confidence in the Chief. Although five new officers have been hired since October 2023, we believe the majority have still expressed no confidence in Chief Fogel. Each officer was subsequently interviewed based on the survey responses.”

The supervisors have not made the survey results public. The association has submitted a right-to-know request for the results.

“The Police Association has submitted multiple investigation requests since February 2025, but to date, we have not received any updates aside from being told from the Board that they are ‘under investigation,” the officers said, adding that since the March 26, 2023, special meeting during which the settlement was approved, no formal disciplinary action has been taken against Fogel.

Labor ruling

In another matter, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board ruled that Lehigh Township committed an unfair labor practice when it altered a veteran police officer’s work schedule in a move found to be motivated by retaliation.

In a decision issued Aug. 11, 2023, Hearing Examiner John Pozniak concluded that the township violated Section 6(1)(a) of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act by interfering with officer Jonathon Roth’s protected union activity.

At the time of the decision, Roth was an 18-year veteran and the township’s only canine officer. Roth also served as the president of the Lehigh Township Police Association.

On Nov. 14, 2022, the union filed a charge with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, claiming the township changed Roth’s platoon assignment in retaliation for his union activities and without proper bargaining, in violation of the collective bargaining agreement.

Roth’s relationship with Fogel, once described by Roth as “probably one of the best bosses I’ve worked for,” began to sour after a 2020 incident in which Roth and the then-union president approached Fogel and Township Manager Alice Rehrig to resolve a grievance involving another officer’s sick leave. Roth testified that Fogel’s demeanor changed afterward.

The schedule for 2023, issued on Oct. 3, 2022, included Roth’s reassignment to a different platoon, a significant change that Roth testified disrupted his life and social support structure. He explained that being on a consistent schedule for years had allowed him to plan vacations and medical appointments well in advance and that the new schedule separated him from friends and fellow officers with whom he shared time off.

The township defended its actions by arguing that the platoon switch served operational needs. Fogel testified that switching Roth and another officer was intended to give both platoons access to specialty officers and to balance experience and resources.

“The whole purpose of the change was simply to do a bit of rebalancing,” Fogel said.

Fogel also testified that Roth’s expertise in traffic enforcement and grant-related activities, such as DUI checkpoints, would benefit his new platoon.

“Roth is one of the better officers with regard to excelling and performance in connection with traffic enforcement and arrests,” Fogel said.

However, Pozniak wrote in his decision that the “contradictions cast considerable doubt over much of Fogel’s testimony and render him simply not credible or worthy of belief.”

Pozniak also noted the timing of Roth’s union activities and the schedule change.

“Each of these incidents occurred close in time and coincided with Roth’s separate instances of protected activity,” he wrote.

The board ordered the township to cease and desist from further violations and required a copy of the decision to be posted in a visible location for 10 days.