CHANDLER, AZ — Chandler police officer Tyler Britt lost his battle with COVID-19 on Monday. Since then, there has been an outpouring of love and support to his family and Chandler police. It shows just how big of an impact he left on the community.
Officer Tyler Britt’s son, Joel, has many memories from over the years: showing a dedicated father, husband, who always donned a smile.
Britt was also dedicated to serving his community. That was not only seen by his family but close friends.
"He was the model officer. He was everything that I think a member of the community of Chandler would hope a police officer would be,” says Brian Duffin, a long-time friend.
Brian Duffin says he met Tyler when they were just teens. They were volunteer guides, at the time, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“We had that close bond in kinship and then, he and I ended up following each other around. We both worked as security guards at the Mesa Arizona Temple," says Duffin.
Both had a passion for law enforcement. Britt ultimately graduated from the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in 2001, then worked as a patrol officer with Chandler PD. Duffin says their lives crossed paths again later on.
"I was working as a motorist-assist volunteer with the Chandler Police Department and I was dispatched to assist him on a call. He had just pulled somebody over and suspected impaired driving,” says Duffin.
Officer Britt later joined the DUI Unit. He was even selected as a Field Training Officer for his expertise. He eventually returned to patrol, which was his calling.
“He absolutely loved working in patrol and traffic. He had no aspirations to become a sergeant, lieutenant or become a commander or anything like that. He enjoyed being out with the people, he enjoyed what he did,” says Duffin.
Chief of Police Sean Duggan issuing a statement:
“Each day Tyler came to work, he made a difference. He was passionate about
his job and touched countless people’s lives over the course of his career. His passing is a tremendous loss to our department and the Chandler community. He will be sorely missed.”
A friend of the family is raising money on GoFundMe on their behalf to help with medical costs.
