Funeral for Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey: 'He Cared About Everyone'

JOPPA, MD – Thousands converged in Joppa Wednesday morning to pay tribute to one of two Harford deputies killed in the line of duty a week ago.

Gov. Larry Hogan said the turnout was testament to Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey’s character.

“All of us can easily see the kind of man that Pat Dailey was by the show of solidarity we see here today among our proud members of the thin blue line, those who also bring honor to their badges every day, who have come together to lay their brother to rest,” Hogan said.

Officers from numerous jurisdictions paid their respects to the 52-year-old who died responding to a call about a wanted man at the Abingdon Panera on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

“Pat was a former U.S. Marine, a veteran police officer, a former member of our SRT—our SWAT team,” said Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, who knew Dailey for 30 years. “Pat trained seriously in all aspects of officer safety. You would not find him on duty without his vest. He covered all the bases. Yet here we are today...”

Witnesses said Dailey was shot in the head after approaching a man inside Panera and asking how he was doing.

“To truly provide a picture of the kind of man that Pat Dailey was, in his final act on this earth, his final acts were to respond to a call he was not assigned, to treat kindly a man he did not know and to give his life for the community he loved,” Gahler said.

As the sheriff spoke of Dailey treating with kindness a man who ended up his killer, heartbreak cracked his voice.

“I have no doubt that other lives, if not for Pat, if not for Mark, would have been lost,” Gahler said. Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon, 43, was killed while looking for the suspect outside the Panera restaurant.

“Police officers every single day are the ones to run towards danger, towards unimaginable situations and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep our community safe,” Gahler said.

He read an essay written by a retired lieutenant in San Diego called “Walking the Point” about the pledge officers take to be on the front lines of society, scoping out situations that are unclear, to protect the rest.

“There is no doubt that in our loss, other lives were saved,” Gahler said. “Pat volunteered to walk the point for us.”

Dailey’s relatives expanded on some of the lives he touched, including those of strangers.

His nephew Michael Johnson said that in the days after his uncle’s death, he went to Walgreens to get some photos blown up for the memorial. A homeless man outside asked if he could see the pictures, and when he saw them and spoke with Johnson, he realized Dailey was one of two deputies killed in the Feb. 10 shootings in Abingdon.

“This man who I’ve never met before hugged me, and we stood outside Walgreens hugging each other and crying,” Johnson said.

Deputy Dailey used to check on the man and make sure he had food, said Johnson: “I knew my uncle for 38 years, yet in that brief interaction...I learned more...He genuinely cared about people. He cared about everyone.”

Dailey was known for stopping and checking in on others, and two people of utmost import were his sons, Bryan and Tyler Dailey.

”He was the definition of a good father. He would literally do anything for us, and I’m truly gonna miss him,” 20-year-old Bryan Dailey said.

“It would be an honor to be half the man that he was,” said Tyler Dailey, 17.

“I’m gonna miss going hiking with him, going up to Gettysburg with him,” Tyler Dailey added. “He turned us both...into war nerds.”

Deputy Dailey liked war memorabilia, was an historical re-enactor and had a train garden set up at his house at all times, his relatives said.

One word that described him was “patriot,” according to his nephew.

Born in Baltimore, he went on to become a member of the Marines and joined the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company at age 16. He was a 30-year veteran of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.

“We will remember Pat’s service at the sight of every flashing light bar on a cruiser in Harford County or the cry of a siren from an engine at Joppa-Magnolia,” County Executive Barry Glassman said. “He is at rest, but still on patrol over his beloved county.”

A fellow officer, one Deputy Dailey trained at the academy, described him as his own man, one who was “rough around the edges”; knew a little bit about many things, from Ireland to wine; wore a “squinty-eyed, all-teeth smile”; and was a fan of air quotes.

”He had the type of personality that everybody liked,” said Sgt. Patrick Vetrone. “Pat is the type of deputy we all strive to be. Yes, he was hardworking. Yes, he was very knowledgable. And he was very proud to wear this uniform. But above all, he had honor. If we don’t have honor, we don’t have anything at all, and I think he understood that better than most.”

The state of Maryland honored Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey with a nearly 90-minute funeral service, followed by an end-of-watch salute including taps, gunfire and flyover with multiple helicopters.

“Maryland owes a great debt to Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and to all of our men and women in blue. They know that accolades are often too few and the risks are great, but every day they put on the badge, every day they answer the call to serve something far greater than themselves,” Gov. Hogan said. “For them, that’s the job. Yet when a brother is lost, it is felt by every county deputy, every state trooper, every police officer and firefighter across this state and across the nation. Patrick Dailey has the eternal gratitude of a state that will forever be in his debt.”

After the service, Dailey’s body was escorted to McComas Funeral Home in Bel Air.

The funeral service began at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Mountain Christian Church’s New Life Center in Joppa, and lasted roughly 90 minutes. The funeral came after two days of visitation, one of which was extended overnight to allow mourners time to pay their respects.

Visitation and the memorial service for Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon will take place Thursday to Saturday.

• Patrick Dailey, 52, of Joppa
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