Ex-Forks Township chief gets nearly $72,000 payout in separation agreement
Former Forks Township Police Chief Michael Friel announced his retirement in December. Township supervisors approved a separation agreement but refused to disclose it until a Right-to-Know request was filed.
Forks Township Police Chief Michael Friel, left, is sworn in during a township supervisors meeting in May 2023.
FORKS TWP., Pa. — Former Police Chief Michael Friel will receive nearly $72,000 under a separation agreement approved by township supervisors in early December, the township disclosed Thursday.
The agreement was released to LehighValleyNews.com after it filed a Right-to-Know request Dec. 9 seeking details of the agreement and the circumstances surrounding the longtime township police veteran's departure.
Denied, however, was LehighValleyNews.com's request for information regarding an allegation that Friel had left behind a loaded firearm at the police station in July.
In her denial, Township Manager and Right-to-Know Officer Donna Asure cited public record exceptions for records relating to non-criminal investigations including investigative materials, notes and reports.
Last month, lehighvalleylive.com reported Friel in July left a loaded gun in a police station bathroom. The news outlet cited a source with knowledge of the investigation and reported Friel vehemently denied the allegation.
According to the separation agreement released Thursday, Friel's base salary was $115,692.
A lump sum payout of $71,861 provided in the agreement covers his base salary equal to the amount he would have received if he had remained on the township payroll through Feb. 28, 2026; leave buyouts through Feb. 28 calculated and paid out in accordance with an hourly rate of $55.62; and pension service credit through Feb. 28.
Under the agreement, the township will withhold and remit Friel's normal 5% employee pension contribution.
The township agreed to also pay for Friel's health insurance premiums through Feb. 28 if he elected coverage under COBRA, a federal law for group health coverage.
A clause in the agreement also states that Friel, a 23-year-veteran of the force and its chief since 2023, is ineligible for any employment with the township.
“I have been privileged to work alongside some of the best officers in the profession, great people who show up every day with professionalism, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the township,” he said.
