A long-simmering dispute over the employment of a veteran police officer and the scope of a mayor’s authority burst into public view Monday evening in Bristol Borough.
At the public meeting, Bristol Borough Council voted to terminate Officer Ritchie Webb from his employment.
The decision came after weeks of social media speculation and a tense public meeting with heated exchanges between Mayor Frank Peranteau and Patrick Harvey, a labor attorney hired by the borough in March.
Harvey, outlining the charges against Webb, alleged the officer caused approximately $5,000 in damage to a police cruiser while operating it outside borough during a shift. He stated Webb failed to provide a “credible reason” for the vehicle being in a remote location.
The borough further accused Webb of failing to cooperate with disciplinary investigations and medical exams while on disability leave.
According to Harvey, Webb sent threatening messages to police Chief Joe Moors, including one that stated, “Your days of wearing white may very well be coming to an end.”
Webb has been on medical leave since April 2025 after responding to a fatal Amtrak train strike that killed a father and his two sons, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The sources noted Webb has remained on the borough payroll during his leave.
Peranteau, a retired borough police chief and district judge who was elected mayor last November, strongly opposed the firing and characterized Webb as a “whistleblower.”
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