The Clermont Police Department (CPD) honored the life of fallen Officer Conrad Buckley on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at the Real Life Church in Clermont (see video below). Officer Buckley lost his life to the COVID-19 virus.
The CPD placed a police car in front of the Clermont Police headquarters in honor of Officer Buckley’s legacy. It was decorated as a temporary memorial and visited by whoever wanted to leave cards, notes, prayers, and well-wishes in respect to his memory.
Officer Conrad Buckley served the City of Clermont diligently for 2 years as a patrol officer. Conrad came to the police department in 2018 after having worked as a law enforcement officer with the Northeastern University Police Department in Boston for several years.
Officer Buckley was on vacation leave at the end of March, traveling to the Boston area to attend to a family emergency. Upon returning to Florida the first week of April, he self-quarantined per CDC guidelines and City of Clermont Human Resources recommendations. During this time of self-quarantine, he developed symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and sought medical attention. He was hospitalized at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares for COVID-19 and succumbed to this illness in the late evening hours of April 27, 2020.
Those who worked with Officer Buckley would state how genuine and outgoing he was.
Always with a smile on his face, Officer Buckley would go out of his way to say hello and ask you about your day. He possessed a great deal of knowledge, experience and during his brief time with the Clermont Police Department, proved a tremendous asset to both the department and the community.
“Officer Buckley will be greatly missed by the Clermont Police Department,” stated Chief Charles Broadway. “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.”
Police officers lined the route to the private service remembering Officer Conrad Buckley. Only Officer Buckley’s family, law enforcement, and other officials were allowed access to the church grounds.
A GoFundMe is raising money for his family: Visit Go Fund Me Page.
If you aren’t able to contribute to GoFundMe, consider donating blood and/or plasma in memory of Conrad Buckley.
