Joseph Sherbo became an Essex County deputy sheriff's officer and received the same badge number (1603) that his father, the late Dewey J. Sherbo III, had when he was a Newark police officer.
Badge numbers issued to officers of the Essex County Sheriff's Department have always been three digits.
There's never been a reason to change the practice. That was until Joseph Sherbo came along.
Badge No. 1603, issued Dec. 30 to the new volunteer deputy, had belonged to his dad, Dewey J. Sherbo III, a fallen Newark police officer. The elder Sherbo died in November 1997 when his patrol car crashed during the pursuit of a stolen car.
Joseph Sherbo, who was 4 years old when his father died, had no idea what would occur at the graduation ceremony following his completion of the sheriff department's deputy volunteer program.
Joseph Sherbo, left, receives his police badge from from James Stewart, president of the Newark Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No.12. Sherbo graduated from the Essex County deputy sheriff's volunteer program at the Essex County Police Academy in Cedar Grove. The badge number is the same number that his father, Dewey J. Sherbo III, had when he was a Newark police officer. Sherbo III died on the job in 1997 when his patrol car crashed into a tree at Branch Brook Park after he joined the pursuit of a stolen car. Stewart was in Sherbo's police academy class when they joined the force. It was already a proud moment for the 22 year old and his family. Sherbo, who lives in Montclair, was on his way to joining the blue brotherhood, which had always been a part of his life.
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His grandfather, Stephen Tassie, and an uncle, Dennis Tassie, are retired Newark police captains. His godfather also was a Newark cop and even his mother, Donna Marie Sherbo, had plans to join the force until her husband of five years died on the job.
"It was an inevitable conclusion,'' Joseph Sherbo said of his career path. "It seems like it was destined from the time I was born. It's my turn now.''
The unexpected tribute in memory of his father wasn't on the family's radar. Sherbo was standing with 23 other candidates, waiting to get his certificate and thinking about how the moment would make his dad proud.
He knows the stories about his dad inside and out. Courageous, reliable, trustworthy. He always got involved and never shied away from duty. In fact, on the day he died, Dewey Sherbo had cut short his lunch break with his father-in-law to join the car chase.
"He was a good man,'' Stephen Tassie said. "He grew in my eyes."
And so has his grandson, who also learned about his dad's honorable side when he wasn't on the job. Dewey Sherbo was old-fashioned in his marriage proposal, asking Tassie for permission to marry his daughter. They took their vows at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the same Newark church where he was inducted into the police ranks and where 2,000 officers gathered for his funeral.
Fast forward 18 years and Joseph Sherbo is at the Essex County Police Academy in Cedar Grove. He's standing there, stoic, his police hat tipped low over his eyes, just like his dad.
It wasn't until Sheriff Armando Fontoura approached him, along with James Stewart, president of the Newark Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 12, that Sherbo figured something was about to happen.
The crowd erupted into applause as Stewart, who was in the father's academy class, placed the badge in Sherbo's hand.
"That got me worked up a little,'' Sherbo said. "It was hard for me to keep my composure.''
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But he held back the tears as Stewart, in full uniform, stood in front of him and then hugged him.
"I told him, 'This is your badge and your dad would want you to have it,' '' Stewart said.
The request for the badge number came from Stewart and Fontoura didn't hesitate to break from the numerical tradition. Sherbo's grandfather, Tassie, also wore No. 1603 during his 26-year career and his son-in-law kept it in the family when he became an officer.
"It was a no brainer,'' Fontoura said. "This shows how much this young man is willing to sacrifice to follow in his father's footsteps.''
James Stewart, president of the Newark Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No.12, hugs Joseph Sherbo during the Essex County deputy sheriff graduation ceremony at the Essex County Police Academy in Cedar Grove. Stewart gave Sherbo his badge, which has the same number that Sherbo's father had when he was a Newark police officer. Sherbo's father, Dewey J. Sherbo III, died on the job November 1997 when his patrol car crashed into a tree at Branch Brook Park after he joined the pursuit of a stolen car. Stewart was in Sherbo's police academy class when they joined the force. He's right. Deputy sheriff's officers are volunteers. There is no monetary compensation. They pay for their own training, weapon and uniform, but have full police powers.
No one is surprised by Sherbo's decision to get into this line of work. He's much like his dad and has always been the guy to help someone.
At 16, he became an emergency medical technician with the Point Pleasant Beach Rescue Squad and still volunteers when he's not working part time as a range safety instructor at a shooting range in Randolph or working toward a degree in criminal justice.
His mom, who at first tried to steer Sherbo toward law school, says she understands why her son wants to be a cop.
"Since he was a little boy, this is what he talked about,'' she said. "It's what he's been around his whole life.''
And it's not just his choice of police work that draws comparisons to his father. Sherbo has his dad's mannerisms, too - from his facial expressions to his confident demeanor, even how his voice sounds, especially if he's teasing his mother.
"He just does things that his father did and he wouldn't been able to pick that up over the years,'' Donna Marie Sherbo said.
The young man could have chosen a different path, but - like his dad - he runs toward an emergency rather than away from it.
A few days after his recent graduation, the family went on a cruise. When the ship docked in Puerto Rico, a family friend was taking pictures and fell backward into the water.
She couldn't swim. Sherbo quickly dove in and held onto her, treading water until a life vest was thrown to them.
He shrugs it off, saying he did what he had to do.
Just like his dad, badge No. 1603.
Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL