Police chief retires; council sets tentative interview date and contingency plan

A council member announced at the Borough of Old Tappan’s sine die meeting that the town’s police chief has retired effective immediately, and Captain Bob Wacht is serving as the officer in charge while the department searches for a replacement.

The announcement prompted discussion of the hiring timeline. “Our current police chief is no more. He has retired,” said the council member (speaker 1). “Bob Wacht, our captain, is the officer in charge.” The council member said two resumes have been submitted and that the testing/interview company has tentatively scheduled interviews for Dec. 15.

Why it matters: the borough faces a short window before the end of the month. Council members described two paths if no permanent chief is in place by Dec. 31: (1) hold a special meeting to appoint an officer in charge, a brief quorum-only session that several members said could be completed in 10 minutes, or (2) address the appointment at the Dec. 18 meeting if timing permits.

Council members asked staff to coordinate interview timing and to prepare a contingency resolution. “If we don’t have someone in place, we may have to appoint an officer in charge,” the council member said. Several members noted they prefer to avoid extra meetings but will do so if necessary to ensure department continuity.

Next steps: the council expects the interview company to confirm dates; if the schedule slips, councilors said they will either use the Dec. 18 meeting or call a short special meeting to make any required appointment.

Provenance: discussion begins at SEG 969 and continues through SEG 1078.