No person employed as police officer or fire apparatus operator shall be suspended, removed or reduced in rank, except for the following reasons:
A. 
Physical or mental disability affecting his or her ability to keep in service.
B. 
Neglect or violation of any official duty.
C. 
Violation of any law of this commonwealth which provides that such a violation constitutes a felony.
D. 
Inefficiency, neglect, intemperance, disobedience of orders or conduct unbecoming a public servant.
E. 
Intoxication while on duty.
F. 
Participating in the conduct of any political or election campaign, otherwise than to exercise his or her own right to suffrage.
A person so employed as a police officer or fire apparatus operator shall not be removed for religious, racial or political reasons.
A written statement of any charges made against any police officer or fire apparatus operator shall be furnished to such person within five days after the same are filed.
If the person suspended, removed or reduced in rank under this article shall demand a hearing by the Commission, the demand shall be made to the Commission. Such person may make written answers to any charges filed against him or her not later than the day fixed for the hearing.
The Commission shall grant the hearing demanded under the preceding section, which shall be held within a period of 10 days from the filing of charges, in writing, and may be continued by the Commission for cause at the request of the Council or the accused. At any such hearing, the person against whom charges are made may be present in person or by counsel.
The Council may suspend any person against whom charges are made without pay pending the determination of the charges against him or her.
In the event that the Commission fails to uphold the charges against a person suspended under the preceding section, then such person shall be reinstated with full pay for the period during which he or she was suspended, and no charges shall be officially recorded against his or her record.
A stenographic record of all testimony taken at a hearing referred to in § 8-48 of this chapter shall be filed with and preserved by the Commission.
The record required by the preceding section shall be sealed and not available for public inspection in case the charges with which it is concerned are dismissed.
In the event that the Commission shall sustain the charges upon which a hearing has been granted under this article and the suspension, removal or reduction in rank, the person suspended, removed or reduced in rank shall have the immediate right to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas of the county.
The appeal referred to in the preceding section shall be taken within 60 days from the date of entry by the Commission of its final order and shall be by petition.
Upon an appeal being taken under this article and docketed, the Court of Common Pleas shall fix a day for the hearing and shall proceed to hear the appeal on the original record and such additional proof or testimony as the parties concerned may desire to offer in evidence.
The decision of the Court of Common Pleas upon the appeal referred to in § 8-53 of this chapter affirming or revising the decision of the Commission shall be final, and the employee shall be suspended, discharged, denoted or reinstated in accordance with the order of the Court.
The Council and the person sought to be suspended, removed or demoted shall at all times have the right to employ counsel before the Commission and upon appeal to the Court of Common Pleas and shall have the further right of appealing to the Superior or Supreme Court in the manner provided by law.
No order of suspension of any person employed as a police officer or fire apparatus operator made by the Commission shall be for a longer period than a year.
A. 
If for reasons of economy or other reasons it shall be deemed necessary by the Council to reduce the number of paid policemen and fire apparatus operators, then the following procedure shall apply:
(1) 
If there are any employees eligible for retirement under the terms of any retirement or pension law, then such reductions shall be made if the party to be retired is 65 years of age or over.
(2) 
If the number of such employees is insufficient to effect the necessary reductions or if there are no persons eligible for retirement or if no retirement or pension fund exists, then the reduction shall be effected by furloughing the person or persons, including the probationers, last appointed as policemen or fire apparatus operators. Such furloughing shall be effected by furloughing in numerical order from the last person appointed until such reduction shall have been accomplished.
B. 
In the event that the police force or number of fire apparatus operators shall again be increased, the employees furloughed shall be reinstated in the order of their seniority in the service.