Roxanne Brown
The Daily Commercial
CLERMONT – The Clermont Police Department this week lost one of their own to the coronavirus, Police Chief Chuck Broadway said in a written statement released Wednesday.
On Tuesday night at a City Council meeting, Mayor Gail Ash also announced the death of Conrad Buckley, 52, a patrol officer who was sworn in on January 10, 2018. Buckley was the first Clermont Police Department employee to die of COVID-19 complications.
“Officer Buckley will be greatly missed by the Clermont Police Department,” Broadway said in a Tuesday night memo. “He was an outstanding police officer who cared greatly for his fellow officers and the community. He took tremendous pride in being a police officer and carried himself with confidence and integrity. Today, the City of Clermont lost a good cop and a great man.”
According to officials, Buckley had been in self-quarantine since returning from a trip to Boston for a family emergency in late March, Broadway said.
Buckley returned to Clermont in April, but after a couple of weeks, became symptomatic. He sought medical attention and tested positive for COVID-19.
Buckley was hospitalized at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares but on Tuesday, he died from complications of the virus.
Before arriving in Clermont, Buckley, with his wife, came from Massachusetts. Buckley was previously employed by the Northeastern University Police Department and joined the Clermont agency with more than 12 years of experience.
After hearing of Buckley’s death, people on Facebook began posting their condolences to the department, his friends and his family.
On Wednesday, Broadway also said that Buckley’s death has greatly impacted the department.
“The Clermont Police Department is truly a tight-knit family and when you lose someone from a family, it hurts to the core,” he said. “Conrad was a great father, husband, man, cop and friend. He loved being a cop and serving the Clermont community. We lost a hero and he will truly be missed.”