Schererville Board of Safety approves emergency hiring process, extends conditional police offer

The Schererville Board of Safety on Sept. 2 voted to suspend the town’s current police eligibility list, initiate an emergency hire process and extend a conditional offer of employment to the department’s top-ranked candidate to address looming retirements and staffing shortfalls.

Police Chief Peter Stormont told the board the department is authorized for 52 officers and currently has 51 on the payroll. Chief Peter Stormont said one officer has elected to use accrued time and will be off duty before an official March retirement date, which creates an urgent staffing gap. "We are 1 officer down, 52 authorized strength. We're at 51," Stormont said. He recommended extending a conditional offer to the top candidate on the department’s 2025 eligibility roster, identified in meeting documents as Bridal Garbowsky, so the candidate can meet pension and academy registration deadlines.

Board members said they supported the move but asked for safeguards for applicants on the traditional hire list. Board member David Enneginger said he opposes routine use of emergency hiring when a standard list exists because it can disadvantage candidates who completed the full process. "If we're gonna use the emergency hiring, it really should be for an emergency," Enneginger said. Stormont responded that the emergency process is intended to maintain operational readiness when multiple retirements or departures could otherwise leave patrol short-handed.

The board heard timeline details from Stormont: academy registration has a Nov. 11 deadline and the academy cohort discussed by staff is scheduled to start Jan. 16, 2026; an emergency-hire process shortens onboarding because hired officers are already state-certified and enrolled in the pension plan, which Stormont said can reduce processing to about 60 days. Stormont said the current traditional eligibility list will remain available to resume hiring once staffing stabilizes and that the list on file expires Sept. 5, 2026.

After discussion the board voted unanimously to (1) extend the conditional offer to Bridal Garbowsky, (2) suspend the existing eligibility list, and (3) initiate an emergency hire process to fill imminent vacancies. Each of those motions passed by consensus of the board members present.

The board was told the emergency hire posting period is about 30 days and that new hires from the emergency list would begin background processing immediately after the posting period, targeting January start dates if hiring proceeds on the schedule described.

The actions taken are procedural recommendations or internal hiring decisions overseen by the Board of Safety; the board noted the town’s Clerk-Treasurer and town manager have reviewed the financial implications and staff advised the plan is affordable within the department’s budget.