"There's no way I thought it was possible," Galvin said. "I would have been happy if I made it up one rank. That's the way I looked at it. Just one rank to sergeant would have been fine with me."
But Galvin became the eighth police chief in the history of the North Bergen police department Wednesday, taking the oath a few days after long-time chief Angelo "Buddy" Busacco had to take a mandatory retirement after turning age 65 in March.
Galvin, who became a sergeant in 1986, a lieutenant two years later and finally a captain in 1997, was sworn in as the provisional police chief at a ceremony at Town Hall Wednesday afternoon.
The 51-year-old Galvin will hold the title as a provisional chief for six months, until the state Department of Personnel can establish a promotional test for the rank of police chief. If no one else steps forward to take the test, then Galvin's promotion will be made permanent at that time.
Galvin had no idea that Busacco was going to step down.
"I never thought that the chief was leaving," Galvin said. "I was quite surprised when I heard. I thought he was going to be able to stay on longer. I never thought there would be a change."
So you could imagine Galvin's surprise when Mayor Nicholas Sacco called him and asked him if he wanted the responsibility of heading the 108-member department.
"First, Chief Busacco called me into his office and told me that he had to retire," Galvin said. "I didn't think much of it still. Then, the mayor called me into his office and said that he wanted to interview me for the chief's job. He asked me a bunch of questions, then asked me if I wanted the job."
Ironically, Galvin was considering retirement himself. He had the 25 years of service necessary to collect a police pension.
"After 25 years, retirement is always something that crosses your mind," Galvin said. "I had no plans of leaving the area. I'm a North Bergen guy. But I was a little up in the air. I had already turned down another job, so I really didn't know what I was going to do. This totally came out of left field. I didn't expect this."
When Sacco offered the position to Galvin, he quickly accepted.
"There was no hesitation whatsoever," Galvin said. "I was honored that the mayor, the commissioners, Commissioner (Theresa) Ferraro and the chief all thought so highly of me and had this much faith in me. It's the proudest moment of my life."
Ever since he was promoted to the rank of captain eight years ago, Galvin has been in charge of the Service Division of the department, working with the records bureau, computer management and the dispatchers.
Since he has had the most daily contact with the highest number of police officers, Galvin's promotion to the top spot made the most sense.
"Bill Galvin is an experienced captain with many years on the force," Sacco said. "He's a town resident and he's shown himself to have all the capabilities of being a good police chief. He has the experience and he was the unanimous choice of the commissioners. He deserves this position. He's earned it."
Busacco becomes public safety director While the promotion of Galvin was a joyous one for him and his family (his parents, William, Sr. and Catherine still reside in the township), there was also a sense of sadness that a long-time dedicated servant was being forced to step aside.
Busacco had one of the longest tenures of any North Bergen police chief, having served as the acting police chief since June, 1987. He became permanent six months later. In his 18 years of service as the head of the police department, Busacco oversaw the department through some tumultuous times, including a total reorganization of the entire force. There were some controversial firings and a handful of indictments and convictions involving corrupt cops, but Busacco remained firm through the tough times.
"I look at my career and I believe it was fulfilled," Busacco said. "I accomplished many things in my tenure. I was fortunate to have a capable administration to work with. I like to think I built the foundation and the framework of the department to where it is now and how it could be even better in the future."
Sacco had nothing but praise for his long-time friend.
"I've known Buddy since the 1970s and I've always considered him a friend first and then a colleague," Sacco said. "It saddens me to see his retirement date come up, because he's vibrant and has many more years to give. If the law permitted him to stay until 70, he would have remained. Buddy's a valuable member of our administration. That's why we wanted him to stay on."
So the commissioners decided to appoint Busacco as the new director of public safety, where he will work in a civilian role with Commissioner Ferraro in a variety of tasks involving the police and emergency service corps.
"Buddy will stay on as an advisor," Sacco said "We're keeping his knowledge handy. Buddy did an excellent job as chief and maintained a proper image and ran the department in a very capable manner."
"It's not emotional for me, because I'm not leaving," Busacco said. "I guess I'm just getting bumped up a little. I never acted like a civilian in a long time, so it's going to be different. But it's a challenge to me and I'm looking forward to it."
Busacco said that he also looks forward to working with the new police chief.
"Captain Galvin worked well under me and we've worked well together since I was his lieutenant, so we know each other well," Busacco said. "I've given him various assignments over the years and he's handled them all well, so he should be well versed in being a police chief and how the department operates."
Galvin said that he will rely heavily upon Busacco's expertise in the transitional period ahead.
"The Chief leaves a legacy of progressiveness, with some of the programs he started already expanding," Galvin said. "I've supported everything the chief has done, and he's been a good mentor to me. I'm going to continue doing what he's done. Without a doubt, we've been more than just employees. We've become close friends. I'm going to look for his advice many times in the future."
Galvin said that he hasn't given much thought to the challenges that lie ahead, because his appointment has come in such whirlwind fashion - he first learned of the possibility of Busacco's retirement last Friday.
"I haven't had time to talk to anyone about it," Galvin said. "Sure, there are going to be challenges like any job. I'm basically getting thrown into the fire. But I think we have a good bunch of officers in the department who want to learn. I think my personality will be an asset. I get along with people well, and I'm willing to listen to what they have to say."
Galvin said that it was nice that Sacco and the Board of Commissioners promoted from within, taking a lifelong North Bergen resident and putting him in charge.
"It shows that the mayor and commissioners truly care about the township because they're promoting one of their own," Galvin said. "Maybe there are patrolmen just starting out now who are thinking, 'Someday, it might be my turn.' The day I became a patrolman was the happiest day of my life. I guess this tops it. It's a great feeling, one that I never would have expected."
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