Everett Police Officer Brian DiBucci.
Every year during their annual awards ceremony the Brian Dibucci Award is presented to one Everett Police officer. This award is dedicated to “an outstanding patrol officer, within their first five years of service, selected for their dedication to the community and proactive police work.”
On Friday, Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman sent out the following message to his officers regarding the events of twenty years ago. MyEverettNews.com obtained a copy of the message and it is such a powerful tribute I decided to publish it today on the 20th anniversary of Officer Dibucci’s death.-LD. Here is the Chief’s message:
Monday, July 15th marks the 20th anniversary of the line of duty death of EPD Officer Brian Michael Dibucci #1144.
On the morning of his death, Officer DiBucci was assigned as a night shift patrol officer in the north end of the city. Just after 3 am fellow officers located an occupied stolen vehicle. The vehicle fled at high speed when they tried to stop it.
Officers pursued the vehicle out of the city as it drove eastbound on SR 2. The driver lost control of the car at the east end of the trestle. At approximately 0315 hours, the vehicle collided into the jersey barrier along the highway, and came to rest on the overpass.
Pursuing officers stopped behind the stolen vehicle and positioned themselves to safely arrest the suspect. Officer DiBucci drove onto the adjoining overpass. From this position, he could provide cover to the officers while they took the suspect into custody.
After the arrest, officers checked on each other but they could not find Officer Dibucci. After searching the area and trying to call him on the radio, they discovered that he had fallen from the overpass. He fell about seventy feet and died instantly. The exact cause of the fall is unknown. It is believed that Officer DiBucci may have tripped over the barrier on the outside of the raised roadway as he was moving into a cover position.
Officer DiBucci was 30 years-old and fulfilling a life-long dream to be a police officer. He was with the Everett Police Department for almost two years and was a very proactive patrol officer with a reputation of being tactically sound. Prior to coming to Everett he had been a police officer with the Tenino Police Department. Officer Dibucci raced motorcycles competitively in his off-duty time and loved working on his prized Chevy Impala, which he kept in immaculate condition.
Officer DiBucci’s memorial service occurred on July 19th, 1999. On a hot and bright summer day, as a large group, members of EPD walked together in the roadway from the Solie Funeral Home on Colby Avenue to Everett Memorial Stadium. Hundreds of officers from around the region joined us in the processional, which was led by a riderless horse and Officer DiBucci’s patrol car. At the stadium, a public memorial service allowed us to pay respects to Officer Dibucci and hear his last radio call.
The suspect driver in the pursuit pled guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed under state law.
Brian’s death was a sad and awful moment in our history, which I hope we never repeat. Many of you never met Brian, but on the 20th anniversary of his death I wanted you to know a little more about him and the impact he had on our department. His legacy lives on in the annual Brian Dibucci Award, which recognizes an outstanding police officer who within their first five years, who have shown a dedication to our community and a passion for proactive police work.
We are part of an honorable profession and some of us have given everything to serve this community. That dedication should be commemorated as we recognize a fallen comrade.
Badge #1144, Officer Brian Dibucci, Gone but not Forgotten.
Editor’s additional note: Earlier this year members of the Everett Police Honor Guard traveled to Washington, DC to participate in National Police Week. The group dedicated their trip to remembering those from Everett Police who gave their lives in the line of duty. Officer Brian DiBucci, Detective Charles Raymond and Detective John Fox.
July 15, 2019
Police Blotter