Troy Police Captain Selected as New Milan Chief of Police

The following information was submitted by the City of Milan.

Milan, MI – Milan Mayor Kym Muckler and City Administrator Ben Swayze have announced that Gerald Scherlinck, Captain of the , has been selected to fill the vacant Chief of Police position.

"Captain Gerard Scherlinck was a valuable partner of the police management team that worked with city management and the employees of the police department to accomplish the restructuring of the police department because of the ," Troy Police Chief Gary Mayer said. "His rock-solid integrity, commitment to the people of the City of Troy and his co-workers will be missed. But most of all, I will miss his daily wise counsel and friendship."

The position, which was posted throughout March and early April, garnered 42 applications. Muckler, Milan Councilwoman Churchill and Administrator Swayze interviewed the top 10 selected candidates in late April before the top three candidates were selected.

When one of the final candidates withdrew their name from the search, the City of Milan pressed forward to interview the remaining two candidates, Scherlinck and Sergeant David Egeler of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department. The second round of interviews took place in late May in front of a community interview panel, which was hand selected by Mayor Muckler in order to help her with the tough decision. Members of the community interview panel included:

• Councilman Dominic Hamden
• Councilman Brett Moyer
• Chris Slay – City IT Director
• Penny Turner – Police Department Dispatcher
• Ann Gee – Member of the Police Community Advisory Board and Parks and Recreation Commission
• Doug Strader – Pastor of Milan Baptist Church
• Greg Stamatopoulos – Owner of Milan Grill
• Andy Box – Milan City Resident

Though the community interview panel was thoroughly impressed with both candidates, the group preferred Scherlinck’s extensive experience in another, albeit larger, community-oriented police department. They also felt the demeanor he displayed throughout the interview would lend itself to the intricacies of being the top cop in a small town. Mayor Muckler agreed with the consensus of the panel.

“I was impressed with Mr. Scherlinck’s answers to the tough questions we asked. It was clear that he understood the role of the Police Chief as an administrator, not a politician, and that he would be able to handle himself professionally in tough situations” Muckler said. “I also looked to opinions from members of our Police Department and City staff who were involved in the process, and appreciated that they were also very comfortable in the selection of Mr. Scherlinck to run our department.”

The Milan City Council met in a special meeting on Wednesday night, where the conditional offer of employment to Mr. Scherlinck was proposed. Though the Mayor is responsible for appointing the Chief of Police, the Council is responsible for setting the compensation, which is why consent of both the Mayor and Council was needed.

The conditional offer, which is contingent upon Scherlinck satisfactorily completing a comprehensive background check, as well as a physical and psychological exam, was emphatically approved by the Council in a unanimous vote.

Another condition of the employment offer was that Scherlinck had to withdraw his candidacy from any other positions he may be applying for. It has been well documented in the news over the past two weeks that Scherlinck was also a candidate for the Chief of Police position in Saline.

“The final portion of the hiring process involves the City investing a significant amount of money for third-party contractors to conduct the comprehensive background and psychological and physical exams” Swayze said in reference to the withdraw clause of the employment offer. “We want to make sure Mr. Scherlinck is committed to accepting  the position before we spend that money.”

Swayze confirmed that Scherlinck was in City Hall on Wednesday to sign the offer, and that he had withdrawn from the Saline process.

Mayor Muckler is anticipating making the official appointment of Mr. Scherlinck to the Chief of Police position at the June 25 regularly scheduled council meeting. The meeting will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a meet-and-greet work session of the Council where community members can come out and meet the new Chief.

The Mayor is anticipating that the new Chief’s first day on the job will be July 16, which will also be his first day of retirement from the Troy Police Department, where he has spent his entire 26-year career in law enforcement.

“I am extremely grateful for everyone that has participated in this process," Muckler said. “From the round table discussions that were held prior to the job posting to the community interview panel and everything in-between, we would have not been able to do this without the participation of so many people.”

The Mayor also had high praise for interim Chief Jeremy Neiman, who has held down the position since Lewis’s departure in January.

“He has done an amazing job running the police department through the past 6 months, especially in light of the cases that have come through the department in that time. Most importantly, he is leaving the department in top shape for the new Chief.”