A Plum police officer was arrested by the FBI at the borough police station Thursday evening. Patrolman Ryan Schneiderlochner was on duty when he was taken into custody by two FBI agents shortly before 7 p.m., Plum police Chief Robert Payne said. Payne said he did not know the specific charges against Schneiderlochner. The officer turned in his badge and gun and was permitted to change his clothes and call his attorney before being led away by the agents. "Anytime a police officer gets arrested, it does not make me feel good," Payne said. "We are in this brotherhood." The complaint against Schneiderlochner will remain sealed until his arraignment, which is scheduled this morning before a federal magistrate. An FBI spokesman refused comment. Payne said he consulted with Mayor John Schmeck, who immediately suspended Schneiderlochner. Council expressed dismay in February that the borough and several officers were the subject of what they termed an FBI civil rights investigation. The FBI at that time would only confirm that it was investigating the police department. The Justice Department, which requests civil rights investigations by the FBI, says a criminal violation "requires the use or threat of force." Violations classified as "official misconduct" include unwarranted assaults, theft and illegal arrests and searches, the department says. The victim's race, religion or national origin are not factors. Schneiderlochner, who was hired in 1998, was the subject of at least two previous investigations. The Plum Civil Service Commission cleared him and two other officers of allegations that they had obtained a copy of the police entrance exam before taking the tests. An Allegheny County Common Pleas jury deliberated less than 15 minutes before acquitting him of charges Schneiderlochner had placed a harassing telephone call to Schmeck in September 2000.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---