HARRISBURG, PA (WENY) -- Pennsylvania State Attorney General Josh Shapiro has sent a letter to the president of the Tioga Borough Council, saying state law was not followed in the hiring of Timothy Loehmann as a borough police officer.

In the letter from AG  Shapiro, he addresses Borough Council President Steven Hazlett, and said state records show a required review of a state database and background check of Loehmann was not completed.

The letter from the attorney general's office follows Loehmann's hiring earlier this week, when the community learned he is the former Cleveland Police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. On Wednesday, community members gathered in protest outside the borough office, seeking answers as to how Loehmann was hired for the job.

Loehmann was fired from Cleveland PD in 2017, for lying on his job application. He was never indicted or tried for the shooting of Rice. Previously in 2012, he had been deemed unfit for duty at a police department in an Ohio suburb. He resigned from the post in December 2012, and was later hired in Cleveland.

Loehmann was sworn in as Tioga's borough police officer on Tuesday evening, July 5th. He withdrew his application on Thursday, after public outcry. Tioga Borough Mayor David Wilcox told WENY News on Wednesday that he was not informed of the hiring process by the borough council, and was only called to the office to swear Loehmann in. He said the council president led him to believe a full background check had been completed.

"I was under the understanding, through our police committee and our Borough president, that they did an extensive background check on him," Wilcox told WENY News on Wednesday. "Everything checked out, everyone they spoke to, clean record...and that was my understanding." 

Pennsylvania state law requires a check of the state's Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) database, which contains information on a potential hire's background, including any history of misconduct or disciplinary action. 

Shapiro says MPOETC records show a check was not performed as required when the borough council hired Loehmann - which is a violation of state law under Act 57. 

"Your failure to run this required check erodes the public's faith in your leadership and the public's trust in the officer you ultimately select. The public deserves to have every confidence that the men and women serving in uniform have been rigorously vetted and have duly earned their positions," Shapiro wrote.

On Thursday, Hazlett refused to tell WENY News how the council's police committee conducted its application process, saying he had no comment. 

Shapiro concludes the letter saying the police hiring database is an important tool in making fully informed decisions when hiring qualified, capable officers. He said he looks forward to Hazlett's cooperation in complying with the law moving forward.

Tioga Borough has a council meeting scheduled for 6PM on July 12th to accept the withdrawal of Loehmann's application.