The Aberdeen Police Department is mourning the sudden loss of one of its officers. Sgt. Christopher Dubiel, a shift supervisor and 12-year veteran of the department, died early Monday.
The department confirmed the 38-year-old Sgt. Dubiel's passing, which was not in the line of duty.
"The Aberdeen Police Department suffered the tragic loss of one of their officers early [Monday]," according to a statement issued by the department.
The APD, which has 45 sworn officers, did not initially release the sergeant's name to protect his family's privacy, but the Harford County Municipal Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 128 released a statement Tuesday that named him.
"Brother Dubiel was a devoted husband who was excited to be a father with his wife and their expected daughter, Hailey," according to a statement prepared by lodge President Jason Neidig, who is an Aberdeen Police Officer First Class. "Chris was respected by his peers and was a leader in the police department, having been the shift supervisor of the evening squad."
Sgt. Dubiel had formerly served on the lodge board as treasurer, according to the statement.
Viewings for Sgt. Dubiel will be Thursday at McComas in Abingdon from 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. A memorial service will be Friday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Sgt. Dubiel joined the Aberdeen Police in 2003, according to department spokesperson Cpl. Shannon Persuhn. He previously worked with the state's Department of General Services-Maryland Capitol Police.
Sgt. Dubiel was the evening shift commander and shift supervisor for the criminal patrol division of the Aberdeen Police. He had also been a detective corporal in criminal investigations, and he was a member of the tactical team, according to Persuhn.
Persuhn said he had been certified as a police polygraphist, which she said requires more than 480 hours of training.
"He was a very intelligent and respected officer and supervisor," Persuhn wrote in an email. "We will miss him greatly."
Neidig said Sgt. Dubiel had been his past supervisor with Aberdeen and he worked under Sgt. Dubiel for about a year and a half.
"He was an excellent supervisor, probably one of the top two that I've had in my 17 years in law enforcement," Neidig said. "You knew where you stood with him, what he expected of you as an officer and what you could expect out of him."
He said Sgt. Dubiel was "very fair" with his officers and members of the public.
"He could take a very emotionally-charged situation and diffuse it in a matter of minutes," Neidig said. "That was just the type of person he was. Chris never looked down on anybody."
Aberdeen Mayor Mike Bennett, who is retired from Maryland State Police, acknowledged Sgt. Dubiel's death, without revealing his identity, during Monday evening's City Council meeting.
"I would just ask that you keep the Aberdeen Police Department in your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks, and the families that are involved," Bennett said.
"You all have our condolences, and the whole law enforcement community is certainly behind you, so thank you very much," Bennett told Lt. Tony Burke, who was attending the council meeting in place of Chief Henry Trabert, that
Sgt. Dubiel is survived by his wife and their unborn daughter. The FOP lodge has set up a fund to support the child, who is to be named Hailey.
"Hopefully, she'll know the good things about [Sgt. Dubiel] as she grows up and what kind of person he was behind the badge, and what kind of person he was when he put the uniform on," Neidig said.
Contributions can be made in person at the APG Federal Credit Union at 996 Beards Hill Road in Aberdeen. Checks should be made out to FOP LODGE 128, and donors should write "for Hailey Dubiel" on the note line of their checks.
Donations can also be made online at https://squareup.com/market/harford-county-municipal-lodge-number-128.
The Aberdeen Police Department has coped with the deaths of other officers in recent years.
Ofc. Charles Armetta, 29, a K-9 officer, died Sept. 8, 2012 after he fell from an I-95 bridge while off-duty in Baltimore. Det. Mark Franklin, 55, died Sept. 20, 2012, after a long battle with cancer. Det. Franklin was a crime scene technician.
Donald Licato, who retired from the Aberdeen department in 2012, dealt with the death of his son, Charles, a corporal with the Harford County Sheriff's Office, who died in a car accident while on duty on Sept. 6, 2012.