Marine vet, beloved Warrington K-9 Officer Stephen Plum Jr. dies at 38 after life of service

Warrington K-9 Officer Stephen Plum Jr. was a rarity among the emergency services community for not only being a police officer, but also an EMT and a firefighter in his time as a first responder.

Service was in his blood as the 8-year veteran of the department also served in the U.S. Marines, deploying to Iraq.

On Monday, the 38-year-old, highly decorated officer and father of five died in a sudden medical event, shocking and leaving the community he's served for all these years grieving.

"It's really tough on my department," said Chief Daniel Friel.

“He was a really good guy," he added.

Plum had been a K-9 officer since 2018, and was partnered with K-9 Murphy, a Dutch shepherd used for narcotics investigations. Plum, who frequently let his K-9 partner take the spotlight, was often and lovingly referred to as "Murphy's human."

Being a K-9 officer was something he wanted to do ever since he was a young child. In 2018, Plum presented the idea of having a K-9 unit to Friel. After being given the OK, he and other community members helped raise the necessary funds to jumpstart the program. Plum and his wife, Nancy, were instrumental in organizing fundraising for the program, according to the department.

“He really wanted to do it," the chief said.

Friel said even though it was Plum's idea to have a K-9 unit, he still had to go through the selection process before he was given Murphy as a partner.

By the end of 2018, the department had a two-officer K-9 unit, which Plum oversaw. Warrington Officer John Blanchard is the department's other K-9 officer. His K-9, Jolie, is an explosives detection dog.

The Warrington chief said Plum turned down a different supervisor position with the department because of his commitment to the K-9 unit. Plum and Murphy received numerous accolades while on the job, and they would often help the Attorney General's Office with its investigations.

“The partnership was that good," Friel said of Plum and Murphy.

Plum and Murphy would often step up to participate in many community events, making the duo well-known in the Warrington area. The K-9 unit had a separate Facebook page, run by Plum, his wife, and Sgt. Jessica Bloomingdale, that's even more popular than the department's own page.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Plum would read kids book on Facebook video to all of the K-9 unit's followers. It was their attempted to brighten the lives of children while under lockdown. Within hours, the first video was a hit.

“I think within the first couple of hours it had like 16,000 views,” Plum said at the time. “And it just turned out to be a hit."

Even before the start of the Facebook page or the K-9 unit, Plum was making connections in the Warrington community. Friel said Plum was a narcotics officer and a motorcycle officer before becoming a K-9 officer. When Plum was a motorcycle officer, he would often stop and talk to the kids in the township.

“He’s a very kind person," Friel said. "He had a big heart and he always smiled.”

The chief said that since Plum's passing, he's been hearing many stories of how Plum interacted with and touched the community over the years.

“It’s just amazing," he said.

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In addition to helping Warrington start its K-9 program, he also helped Hatboro police start their own K-9 unit.

Plum's father is a retired Hatboro officer, and Plum was close friends with Hatboro K-9 Officer Ryan Allen. Allen, who helped create Hatboro's K-9 unit, died in April, months after suffering a brain injury from a bee sting.

Friel said Plum would go to Allen's home after work while Allen was hospitalized to help take care of his K-9, Louie.

“He’s the type of guy that will give you the shirt off his back," the chief said.

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner said Plum spoke at Allen's memorial service last month. Plum was very closely connected to the department.

“We’ve all known Stephen very well," he said.

The Hatboro chief said he knew Plum since he was a young child. Gardner said he even spoke at Plum's police academy graduation.

“We can’t believe it," the Hatboro chief said. "We're kind of in a state of shock over it.”

Like Friel, Gardner spoke of Plum's kindness. He remembered a few years ago, when hunting deer, Plum offered to take a deer Gardner had hunted out of the woods for him.

“It’s devastating," Gardner said of Plum's passing.

Before joining Warrington police, Plum was an EMT for Second Alarmer’s Association and Rescue Squad of Montgomery County, which covers Abington, Upper Moreland, Upper Dublin, Whitpain, Jenkintown, Rockledge and Hatboro.

Assistant Chief Ken Davidson said Plum took the job seriously, and had pride in helping others.

He said Plum was always serious about the job, but was able to put smiles on his co-workers faces by lightening the mood when possible.

“He was really that perfect combination," Davidson said.

Plum became a part-time EMT there in 2007, before becoming full-time in 2009. Davidson said Plum joined them after serving in the marines.

“He returned from one form of a service and went right into another," he said.

The assistant chief said anyone who saw they were on a shift with him, they knew it would be a good shift.

“He was a very likeable person," he said, adding that Plum got along well with a lot of people.

Plum finished up there around 2014, according to Davidson. Even after his departure, members of the rescue squad would keep in contact with Plum, or run into him in the community. They would see him at trainings or incidents that they both would go to.

Davidson noted that Plum was very passionate about being a K-9 officer.

“He wasn’t just a guy who has a good idea and expected somebody else to do it," he said.

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Plum also served on the occupational advisory committee for protective services for the Eastern Center for Arts and Technology. The committees provide recommendations in education in their respective fields.

“He wanted to try and give back to the various disciplines he learned and make that community better," Davidson said.

Before working in Warrington, Plum was a police officer for SETPA and Rockledge Borough in Montgomery County. He also was a volunteer firefighter with Abington Fire Co., where his father, retired Hatboro Officer Stephen Plum Sr., is the president.

Plum is survived by his wife Nancy, and their five children, Andrew, Aiden, Wyatt, Emmett and Francesca.

Warrington police said he enjoyed riding ATVs, hunting, camping, and being with his family.

Funeral mass for Plum will be held at St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church at 1410 Almshouse Road in Jamison, at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 27, according to his obituary. Relatives and friends will be received from 9 a.m. until 11:15 a.m.

Interment will be at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery, his obituary states.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help raise money for his family. Those interested in donating may do so here, https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-officer-stephen-plum-jrs-family.

Donations may also be dropped off at the police station at 2330 Lower Barness Road in Warrington. Checks my be made to Nancy Plum.

It has been a particularly difficult time for local law enforcement.

The loss of Allen was felt throughout the community. And two state troopers, both from the Philadelphia suburbs, were killed in the line of duty in March.

Recently, two other local officers also died.

On Monday, Abington police announced that Detective Steven Henze, who had been with the department since 1991, died suddenly. Last week, Bensalem police announced that Deputy Public Safety Director David Richardson died from pancreatic cancer.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Stephen Plum Jr., beloved Warrington K-9 officer, dies at 38