By Jared Castañeda
William Herlihy, police chief for the Villages of Montgomery and Walden, announced during the former’s January 7 meeting that he would soon retire as chief of both municipalities. He has not confirmed a retirement date yet as wants both villages to find full-time successors for their respective police departments first.
Herlihy’s 32-year career began in the Police Academy, where he became a recruit for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 1993. After graduating from the academy in 1994, he received an offer from former Walden Chief Jeffry Holmes and joined the Walden PD as a part-time officer. From there, his workload further expanded: he served an as officer for the Town of Wallkill PD in 2012, he was promoted to sergeant at the Walden PD in 2012, and he became a sergeant for the Village of Montgomery PD in 2013. After rising through the ranks, Herlihy became the chief for both the Walden PD and the Village of Montgomery PD in 2020.
During the Village of Montgomery’s latest board meeting, Herlihy expressed satisfaction with his run as chief and felt it was time to move on to something new. He assured the board and residents that he would assist both police departments however he could during their transitions.
“Mayor Hembury and members of the village board: it pains me to formally notify you of my decision to retire from the position as chief of police of the Village of Montgomery,” Herlihy said during the meeting. “After a rewarding 32-year career in law enforcement, with the last 12 years serving double-duty with my full-time position with the Village of Walden, and the last five years serving both the Village of Walden police chief and Village of Montgomery police chief, I’ve decided it’s time to close this chapter and move forward to new endeavors.”
“I have not selected an official date of retirement yet to make sure that we smoothly transition to the new police chief, whoever that may be. But I want to assure you that I will make every effort to ensure a smooth and seamless transition to the next chief of police,” he continued. “I’m still committed to supporting the department staff and leadership during this time to maintain the high standard of service our community deserves. It has been my honor and privilege to serve the Village of Montgomery, and I’m deeply grateful for the trust and support you have shown throughout my tenure.”
Village of Montgomery Mayor Mike Hembury recounted Herlihy’s legacy as police chief, noting that the board promoted him to chief per requests of his police department. He stated that Joe Guarneiri would take over as acting chief once Herlihy submits his resignation, and the board is looking to make him both a full-time officer and full-time chief.
“I’ve known Bill when I was in the police department for years, and he’s very well respected. He was picked not so much by the village board and Mayor Brescia, he was picked because his own guys wanted him,” Hembury said. “He was the second in charge, and Steve, Darlene, and I sat and talked about this. The guys wanted him so we didn’t search outside of the department.”
“And with that, when Bill leaves, we are not searching outside of the department. Joe will be the acting chief,” he continued. “We’re looking to make Joe a full-time police officer and a full-time police chief because this village needs a full-time police chief. We’re going to take Bill’s salary and put it on top of Joe, so it’s not going to change. But we’re going to have a full-time police chief here.”
Walden Mayor John Ramos confirmed that Herlihy will retire from the Walden village PD soon as well, adding that his manager, John Revella, is currently looking for a candidate to take over as chief.