Sheriff Richard Berdnik always wanted to be a cop. A look at the career of Clifton’s son

The North Jersey law enforcement community was left reeling Tuesday after the death of Richard Berdnik, a lifelong Clifton resident and the 49th Passaic County sheriff.

Berdnik, a longtime law enforcement officer with deep ties to North Jersey, fatally shot himself Tuesday afternoon at a well-known Turkish restaurant in Clifton, multiple sources said.

Berdnik went into the bathroom at Toros on Hazel Street, and soon after, people in the restaurant heard a gunshot, sources said.

When Berdnik was growing up, his father — a Polish immigrant who participated in the Battle of Monte Cassino — worked at Hoffman-La Roche on Route 3. He, however, pretty much always knew he wanted to be a cop, Berdnik told The Record in 2010.

He started in his hometown.

The 1978 Clifton High School graduate and city of Passaic auxiliary officer trained at the New Jersey State Police Training Center in Sea Girt before graduating as part of its 175th municipal police class in December 1982. Soon after, he was on patrol for the Clifton Police Department.

One of his first cases involved the theft of wooden planks and joint compound from a construction site off River Road.

One of his last involved the stabbing of a local teen after a fight near Clifton Avenue and Sixth Street.

During his 28-year run in the department, there were far more memorable events. He saved three people from a burning building in 1991 and, in 2003, helped apprehend an armed robber in action. Citations accumulated.

Along with the action came a spate of different titles and roles.

He worked in Clifton's narcotics squad, crime prevention unit and warrant squad. He led the internal affairs division, was an instructor at the county police academy and in 1998 graduated from the FBI National Academy's 11-week leadership course. By 2010, Berdnik, a lieutenant, was the head of Clifton's Juvenile Division and its SWAT unit.

When he left the department that year, Berdnik told The Record that the variety of roles he had in Clifton helped set him up for what came next.

In the summer of 2010, he was tapped by Democratic Party Chair John Currie to replace former Sheriff Jerry Speziale on the ballot in that year's election. Speziale had decided to call off his campaign and accept a job with the Port Authority. Though Berdnik was a relative unknown in county politics with no ties to the Sheriff's Office, Currie's selection was backed by U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.

"The chairman has chosen wisely," Pascrell said in August 2010. "The main function of a sheriff is to bring the morale of the troops up in good times and bad times. He must have respect, integrity, and lead on a higher level. And that's what Richard's all about, so sleep well, Passaic County."

Berdnik at the time proclaimed it "one of the proudest moments of my life." He went on to vow to bring "honesty, integrity, accountability and fiscal responsibility" to the post.

"As the boss, you can't make everyone happy, because if you do, then you're not doing your job," he told The Record in 2010.

Berdnik took 58% of the vote in November 2010 and celebrated his win with Currie at the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union hall in Little Falls. He took office on Jan. 1, 2011.

As sheriff, Berdnik worked to have the office and the Passaic County Jail accredited after implementing new operational standards for both facilities. Increasing training and accreditation credentials was part of his concerted effort to improve efficiency and safety in the county.

Outside of the office, Berdnik was a eucharistic minister at Clifton’s St. Andrew’s Church and a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He was also a father of four and a husband of nearly 40 years to his wife, Monica Berdnik.

Before his death Tuesday, Berdnik was expected to spend at least three years as county sheriff. Berdnik last won reelection in 2022 with 54% of the vote.

More recently, Berdnik's department has been in the midst of a major operational shift as the county works toward the permanent closure and demolition of its jail. Earlier this month, the department announced plans to lay off as many as 30 employees to reduce a Sheriff's Office budget that has swelled since the bulk of the jail operations were moved to Bergen County under a shared services agreement.

On Jan. 18, Berdnik announced the pending layoffs of his office's correctional officers in a department-wide memo.

"I am well aware that there is much confusion and stress during this very difficult time in our agency," Berdnik's memo reads. "I have done everything in my power to find employment for all affected employees but unfortunately, we must move forward."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Richard Berdnik: Looking back on career of Passaic County sheriff