Holly MatkinToledo, OH – Toledo Police Department (TPD) Officer Kevin Dumas died on Thanksgiving morning after suffering a medical emergency.
The 48-year-old officer was rushed from his Maumee home to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, The Toledo Blade reported.
“The entire department is in a state of shock and mourning,” Toledo Police Chief George Kral told the paper. “[He was] bigger than life.”
“If I could sit down with a pen and paper and write down every quality that I would want a TPD officer to have, that would be Kevin Dumas,” Chief Kral said. “He was quite honestly one of the most highly-trained people in TPD, regardless of rank.”
Officer Dumas joined the TPD in 1999, according to his obituary.
He served as a patrolman until 2002, when he was assigned to the TPD’s first Mountain Bike Unit.
Officer Dumas transitioned to the SWAT team in 2008, where he spent eight years prior to becoming an instructor at the TPD Police Academy in 2016, according to his obituary.
The 21-year department veteran trained hundreds of new recruits and fellow officers during his career, The Toledo Blade reported.
“You know, sometimes you just have that professor in college who reaches out and touches you and because you respect him, you know this person knows what they’re talking about,” Chief Kral explained. “That was Kevin Dumas.”
He said the veteran officer was “a subject-matter expert” in the area of special operations, The Toledo Blade reported.
“And everybody knew it,” the chief added. “So, people would hang on to everything that came out of his mouth because they knew that he knew what he was talking about and he was teaching them the right way of doing things to keep them safe and to keep the public safe.”
Officer Dumas was also an Aikido instructor with at least three martial arts black belts, and had even trained Chief Kral.
The chief said Officer Dumas was “an incredible practitioner” who was known as “a force to be reckoned with,” The Toledo Blade reported.
Officer Dumas also enjoyed dressing up as Batman every Halloween to bring smiles to the faces of the children at ProMedica’s Russel J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital, WTVG reported.
Year after year, he’d show up in costume and wave at the kids as he rappelled down the outside of the building.
“I guess I kind of describe him as a true hero,” his friend, Doris Piercefield, told WTVG. “He was a good guy. He was a good police officer. He was a good dad – he was just an overall good guy.”
Officer Dumas leaves behind his wife, Amy, and his three daughters, Sarah, Grace, and Maggie, according to his obituary.
He is also survived by his parents, brother, sister, and several nieces and nephews.
A fundraising page established to help Officer Dumas’ family in the wake of their loss has raised over $13,000 so far.
“There are no words to express the incredible sadness we feel as we announce the unexpected passing of Officer Kevin Dumas,” TPD said in a Facebook post. “There would not be enough space here to speak on his accolades and achievements, but also the kind, loving, and dedicated person he was. Officer Dumas was a friend and teacher to everyone. He will be sorely missed.”
Officer Dumas was laid to rest on Dec. 3.
There are no words to express the sadness we feel as we announce the unexpected passing of Ofc. Kevin Dumas. There is not be enough space here to speak on his achievements, but also the kind, loving, and dedicated person he was. He will be sorely missed. pic.twitter.com/xmcT5csA0h
— Toledo Police (@ToledoPolice) November 27, 2020
The entire city offers its condolences to the family, friends, and fellow @ToledoPolice officers of Officer Kevin Dumas https://t.co/jzSL9MQx2r
— City of Toledo (@city_of_toledo) November 26, 2020
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Toledo Police Department Officer Kevin Dumas, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
