ORANGEVILLE – A police officer charged with lampooning his force in a satirical blog appeared briefly before a disciplinary hearing on Friday.

Const. Stephen Fisher of Orangeville Police has been charged with two counts of disreputable conduct for allegedly ridiculing senior officers while writing in a blog about the “Citrusville Sheriff’s Department.”

The force alleges the imaginary “Citrusville” sheriff’s department and its officers have an uncanny resemblance to the real-life Orangeville force.

The case before Morris Elbers, a former OPP superintendent, was adjourned until April, with no evidence heard.

The caustic blog is just one of many headaches for the Orangeville force, where roughly half of its 39 officers have signed a petition to the province, requesting a review of their employers’ policing practises.

The original “Citrusville” site has been shut down, but a new one has been created in its place, with anonymous authors, who vow “to grow as the mistakes of the misguided and misled deputies of Citrusville go unchecked. Stay tuned for more . . .”

Meanwhile, Fisher is leaving later this month for Burkina Faso in Western Africa as part of a humanitarian group providing clean drinking water for impoverished communities.