Herlihy heads Village of Montgomery Police

By Connor Linskey
Posted 7/1/20

William Herlihy officially took over as Village of Montgomery chief of police on March 7 when Steven Walsh’s resignation took effect.

Herlihy comes into his new position with plenty of …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Herlihy heads Village of Montgomery Police

Posted

William Herlihy officially took over as Village of Montgomery chief of police on March 7 when Steven Walsh’s resignation took effect.

Herlihy comes into his new position with plenty of experience in both law enforcement and the Village of Montgomery Police Department. He is in his twenty-seventh year in law enforcement. His career began as a police academy recruit for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 1993. Upon graduating from the police academy, he began to work for the Village of Walden Police Department in 1994. He then accepted a full-time police officer position with the Town of Wallkill Police Department in 1995. In November 2000, Herlihy left the Town of Wallkill Police Department to continue his career with the Village of Walden Police Department. He was promoted to sergeant in 2012 and still holds that title today.

In 2013, Herlihy began working at the Village of Montgomery Police Department as a sergeant under Chief of Police John DiMilia and Deputy Chief Walsh. In 2014, he was promoted to lieutenant under Chief Walsh. He was honored to be named chief of police for the Village of Montgomery Police Department in March.

“I am incredibly grateful for this wonderful opportunity to continue to provide a high level of professionalism and integrity to the citizens of the Village of Montgomery as well as to our surrounding communities as the chief of police,” Herlihy said. “I wanted to become the next chief because it’s the culmination of my long career in law enforcement. I’ve devoted my entire career to helping others and keeping my community safe. I believe that being the chief allows me to continue to do that while also mentoring the next generation of police officers and supervisors.”

Since taking over as chief of police, Herlihy has had to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting policy, procedures and response protocols. He has secured personal protective equipment for the agency’s personnel.

In addition, Herlihy was responsible for preparing the department for ensuring the safety of the demonstrators, citizens and agency personnel for two Black Lives Matter demonstrations held in the Village of Montgomery.

As chief of police, his main goal is to continue the excellent work that the department has accomplished over the past several years under Chief Walsh and their dedicated officers. The department will continue to concentrate on vehicle and traffic enforcement within the village. Their number one priority is the safety and security of residents.

Also, as chief of police, Herlihy would like to bring back foot and bike patrols.

“I truly believe that having our officers out and about within the village helps us to better connect with our business owners, citizens and guests,” he said. “I think people feel safer and more secure when they see regular patrols throughout the village, especially once the warmer weather arrives and many residents both young and old are enjoying all that the Village of Montgomery has to offer. I think this also instills a sense of community and partnership between our citizens and our police department.”

Herlihy hopes to continue providing quality service to Village of Montgomery residents.

“Again, it is truly an honor to be the new chief of police for the Village of Montgomery,” he said. “I as well as our officers are committed to working diligently with the utmost professionalism and fairness to all residents in the village and our neighboring communities.”