Fired Upper Darby cops to be reinstated

Two Upper Darby police officers who were fired earlier this year for an undisclosed incident caught on camera will be reinstated tomorrow, said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

Patrolmen Ryan Wisely, 32, and Michael Givens, 39, were fired in July by Mayor Thomas N. Micozzie after surveillance cameras at the police station captured a June 15 incident involving the officers and three juveniles.

According to reports from the time, the kids were arrested for shoplifting and a 17-year-old among them may have been assaulted by one or both of the officers while in custody.

The officers allegedly self reported the incident to their supervisors and were subsequently fired. On June 16, Chitwood asked the Delaware County District Attorney's Office to launch its own investigation into the incident. That investigation, which is looking into any possible criminal charges against the officers, remains ongoing, according to Emily Harris, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

The patrolmen are being reinstated tomorrow as a result of a ruling by an arbitrator last week, Chitwood said. Their seniority with the department will remain intact but they will receive no back pay.

Harris said it's unlikely the tape in question will ever be released to the public because it involves juveniles.