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Borough officials considered various options, including appointing a police director or merging with another municipality but, instead chose the likeable Scherb from among three candidates.
“He’s the one everybody wanted. He’s smart. He’s friendly. He’s easy to communicate with,” a source with direct knowledge of the decision said of Scherb, a 26-year veteran who was one of three sergeants considered for the job.
Council members privately told all three of the decision Tuesday night.
Once Scherb passes a psychological exam, the council will vote to approve his appointment, which was recommended by a subcommittee following a study of the borough’s options, discussions with all four of the department’s sergeants and oral exams of the three candidates by a panel selected by the New Jersey Police Chiefs Association.
The candidates also met with the subcommittee and submitted written reports on how they would each operate the department. Subcommittee members even privately sounded out the rank-and-file.
Besides Scherb, Sgts. Al McCarthy took a turn as the officer in charge of the department after former Chief Robert Herndon retired last year. Sgt. Todd Griffith was also considered.
Scherb, of Waldwick, began his career as a dispather in Allendale in 1977. He later worked for three years as a patrolman in Ho-Ho-Kus before returning to the borough in 1984. He was promoted to sergeant in 1997.
Allendale is a unique borough, in that it doesn’t have any captains or lieutenants. So three of the department’s four sergeants got a crack at the top spot.
Council members considered a highly controversial option of merging the department with another — presumably, Saddle River’s. The borough paid $5,000 for an indepedent study of the possibility but, in the end decided against the move. Scherb has agreed to step down if a merger does occur in the future and he isn’t selected as the top cop.
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