A Casper police lieutenant committed suicide earlier this week and the Casper Police Department will treat his death as resulting from line-of-duty actions, officials announced Wednesday.
Casper police Lt. Daniel “Danny” Dundas, a 13-year veteran of the agency and lifelong member of the Casper community, took his own life on Monday afternoon, the department announced in a social media post.
“Lieutenant Dundas was a beloved member of our Department and, for many people, was the face of the Casper Police Department, especially when he was at community events,” the department said in the post. “When our citizens thought of what a Casper Police Officer should be, they thought of Danny.”
The department noted that despite being a rewarding career, the life of a law enforcement officer can be difficult.
“During his years of service to our community, like all police officers, Lieutenant Dundas had experienced a wide variety of both positive and negative events, with citizens, victims, and suspects alike,” the department said. “Although all of our police officers are highly trained professionals, they are, first and foremost, humans. The stoic emotions we steadfastly maintain while on duty often crumble when we return to our homes and loved ones.”
The officers noted that Dundas experienced “several” traumatic events during his career, all of which impacted him in one way or another.
As a result, the department is going to treat Dundas’ death as the result of working in the line of duty.
“This is a tough job. Only the best even attempt to do it,” the department said. “Yet, such service to community comes at a cost, oftentimes at a heavy personal cost, and, all too frequently, those costs can be extremely steep. The extended Dundas Family and his Casper Police Department Family, share our sincere gratitude to this amazing community for the immense outpouring of support we have received.”
The department has been in close contact with the Dundas family all week to help them in any way possible.
A public memorial service for Dundas will be held at 4 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. Attendees are asked to wear blue, black or patriotic clothing in honor of the police officer. Procession route information will be announced in the coming days.
