Michael Irey
Introduction
Michael Irey, the former police chief of Upland Borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, has been charged with 20 criminal counts — including theft, forgery and obstruction — for allegedly collecting more than $50,000 in overtime and extra-duty pay for shifts he never worked. Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse announced the charges, saying Irey “used his position to collect more than $50,000 for overtime he never worked, betraying both the public and the officers who faithfully serve their communities.”
Background Information
Irey led the Upland Borough Police Department, a small Delaware County force whose grant-funded overtime details are paid through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and other entities — including a roving DUI patrol that Irey would often sign up to work, according to the District Attorney’s release. Irey and Lieutenant Michael Curran became the targets of an investigation earlier in 2026 and were placed on administrative leave in March while it proceeded; Curran resigned at that time and is not being charged. Officers within the department had expressed concerns to investigators earlier in the year that instead of working the details he signed up for, Irey could be found in popular local bars while on the clock.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged; presumption of innocence. Irey faces 20 counts — three each of theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, tampering with evidence and unsworn falsification to authorities, six counts of forgery, and one count each of obstruction of justice and receiving stolen property — and has not yet answered the charges in court.
The charges allege that Irey submitted overtime and extra-duty details for compensation he never actually worked, accumulating more than $50,000 in pay. District Attorney Rouse framed the conduct as a betrayal of the badge: “The badge carries a responsibility that does not end when the shift is over, and public trust should never be treated as a personal paycheck.” The investigation began after officers in the department reported their concerns about the chief’s whereabouts during the grant-funded shifts he claimed.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Irey was arrested in New Jersey on local charges and is awaiting extradition back to Delaware County to answer the Pennsylvania case. The charging announcement, made on November 9, 2026, came roughly eight months after he was placed on administrative leave and removed from the department’s command, and his second-in-command’s resignation during the investigation left the small borough force without either of its two top officers while the probe proceeded.
Current Status
Irey is facing 20 criminal counts in Delaware County and remains in custody out of state pending extradition. No plea has been entered and no trial date has been reported; the charges are allegations, and he has not been convicted of anything. Lieutenant Michael Curran, who resigned during the same investigation, will not be charged, according to the District Attorney’s release.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Irey’s policing career ended in stages — administrative leave in March, resignation-era upheaval in the borough’s command structure, and finally 20 criminal charges accusing the man who ran the department of using it as his own payroll. The District Attorney’s framing — that public trust should never be “a personal paycheck” — captures the fall: a chief who allegedly billed his borough for DUI patrols he spent in bars, now awaiting extradition to answer forgery and theft counts that carry the potential for years in prison.
Sources
- Delaware County Daily Times, “Former Upland police chief charged with theft, forgery over overtime pay.” source