David Del Papa is out as Abington Police Chief effective immediately.
Abington Select Board Chairman Kevin Donovan made the surprise announcement Friday morning following a closed door meeting of the Board.
“The Town of Abington and Police Chief Del Papa have entered into a mutual agreement to conclude his tenure as Chief of Police,” the statement provided by Donovan says.
“The Town of Abington, the Select Board and the Town Manager would like to thank Chief Del Papa for his dedicated and distinguished service to the Town as Police Chief. Chief Del Papa would like to offer his sincerest appreciation to the men and women of the Abington Police Department, who he is honored to have served alongside during his time in Abington.”
Donovan added: “This will be all that will be said [on] the matter.”
Del Papa will be replaced on an interim basis by former Abington Police Chief David Majenski, who agreed to retire in 2021 after years of acrimony within the department.
Del Papa was hired in October 2021 and was finishing up his first three-year contract. No details were provided regarding whether Del Papa will receve any severance payments or other benefits.
Abington News has learned that while Select Board members knew Del Papa’s contract was coming up for renewal it hadn’t been a discussion point for the board until just this week.
Former Selectman Tim Chapin, who was unsuccessful in his bid for a third term, said the Board had not held any discussions about Del Papa’s contract status prior to Saturday’s Town Elections.
“I’m as surprised as everyone else,” said Chapin.
The Select Board discussed Del Papa’s contract during a closed-door session following their meeting Monday night. They held another executive session meeting for Friday at 10 a.m.
The power to hire and fire department heads, including the police chief, rests with the Town Manager, according to the Abington Town Charter. However, the charter also gives the Select Board veto power over some of those decisions.
It’s not known whether a majority of the Select Board opposed renewing Del Papa’s contract, or whether Del Papa felt three years was enough time.
Selectman Roger Woods referred a request for comment about the discussions to the board chairman, Donovan.
The rest of the board — Kevin DiMarzio, Suzanne Djusberg, and Paul Bunker — could not be immediately reached for comment.
Del Papa offered the following statement to Abington News:
“Today I entered into a mutual agreement with the Town to end my tenure as its Chief of Police. First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of the department’s officers and administrative staff for their service to this community and their support. It has been my pleasure to serve as Abington’s Chief of Police for the last several years. I started with a long list of goals I wanted the department to achieve and although we weren’t able to accomplish every one, I’m extremely proud of the work we completed together and I am pleased with the direction in which the department is headed. The department is in good hands under the leadership of Deputy Chiefs Sullivan and Postell. I look forward to seeing the Abington Police Department realize the success that both it and the Town deserve and wish everyone there all the very best.”
Majenski is expected to start in the interim role as soon as next week.
“My focus is on finding a new permanent police chief to lead our police dept and represent our town, not rehash the past,” Woods told Abington News. “David Majenski has extensive institutional experience and departmental experience. I am in favor of Majenski serving as our interim police chief until a new permanent police chief is appointed. I’m hoping a new chief will be installed in the next 4 months or so.”
Del Papa was brought in to help fix a department in disarray. Conflicts between department leadership and union members, as well as below average compensation, resulted in dozens of officers leaving the Abington Police Department over a 15-year period.
While the rate of officer departures slowed significantly under Del Papa, and police officers received a significant bump in compensation in its most recent contract, the department again became embroiled in union disputes.
The most publicized one involved Del Papa’s decision to end the department’s K-9 unit and give away K-9 Officer John Sayers partner, Kano. Sayers said the move was retaliation for filing greivences against department leadership.