Bradford, PA – Bradford Township Police Department (BTPD) Lieutenant Jeffrey Shade died in the line of duty on Aug. 4 after suffering a massive heart attack.

Lt. Shade was at the station when the medical emergency struck early Friday morning, The Bradford Era reported.

Bradford Township Supervisor Laree Sue Behan said she received a call at 2 a.m. notifying her that the lieutenant had been rushed to the emergency room.

The hospital was filled with first responders when Behan arrived a short while later.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share and mourn the passing of Lieutenant Jeffrey L. Shade,” the BTPD said in a press release on Sunday. “He was an honorable man, officer, brother, mentor, friend and most importantly, a husband, father and son. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife and 3 daughters and ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers. He will be greatly missed.”

Lt. Shade served the BTPD for 32 years.

“Jeff was very thorough, intelligent, diligent,” Bradford Township Police Chief Robb Shipman told The Bradford Era. “He kind of set the standard for what police officers should be.”

Chief Shipman described Lt. Shade as his “go-to” officer and said he was a “cornerstone” of the department.

“When I was appointed chief, my first decision was to appoint him as my lieutenant,” he chief added. “It was probably the easiest decision I had to make as chief.”

District Court Judge Rich Luther, a former BTPD officer, said he worked alongside Lt. Shade from 1991 until Luther joined the magistrate’s office in 2005, The Bradford Era reported.

“He was one of my best friends and brothers,” Luther said. “I love him and I am so sad. He was a great friend and one of the finest and smartest police officers I ever had the privilege to work with.”

He said Lt. Shade was “the epitome of what a police officer should be.”

“We’re lost,” Behan told The Bradford Era. “He was the biggest part of us, the guy with the answer to questions — I mean, Jeff knew them all. He never missed a beat.”

Lt. Shade was also president of the William Hanley Sr. Lodge #67 Fraternal Order of Police – a position he’d held for years.

District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said the fallen lieutenant loved his family above all else, The Bradford Era reported.

“He adored his wife and, if you saw them together, you would see the love they shared,” Vettenburg-Schaffer said. “He was a ‘man’s man’ but was a ‘girl dad,’ raising three beautiful daughters who he beamed with pride about. And it was clear that the love of his life was his granddaughter.”

Lt. Shade will be laid to rest on Aug. 11, according to his department.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Bradford Township Police Department Lieutenant Jeffrey Shade, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.