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BRIGHAM CITY — Thousands of people attended funeral services and lined the streets during a Saturday afternoon procession to say goodbye to Brigham City Assistant Police Chief Dennis Vincent.
“It’s tough. It’s really hard. His humor was unmatched and his love for the community was unmatched as well,” said Tyler Vincent, Dennis brother.
He said law enforcement was a job his brother always wanted to do.
“He got a Dick Tracy uniform one year for Christmas when he was young,” Tyler Vincent recalled. “It had a little notebook and a badge and a gun. He would get on his bike and he would run up and down the street and if somebody crossed across the street and there was a car coming, he would go over and actually write them a little ticket and hand it to them.”
It was the beginning of a career where he always tried to do the right thing and be fair to people, as well as tell jokes with his colleagues to make a tough job a little better.
“He was a brother to me. He was my very best friend,” said Brigham City Police Chief Mike Nelsen.
Nelsen became chief four years ago and promoted Vincent to assistant chief right away.
“He always gets things done. You ask him to do it and it always gets done. And he did it with a smile on his face. He always had a smile. Always had a smile. Never, I don’t know, I’m sure, he must have got down in the dump sometimes but I never saw it,” Nelsen said.
Vincent was only 53 years old when he died last week from an aneurysm during his physical fitness test.
Ever since then, Nelsen said the community has been contacting the police department to offer their condolences.
“We have had people call us and (send) letters and cards and the support has been tremendous,” Nelsen said.
Even though so many people knew Vincent, for those closest to him, he will always be the guy who loved being with his family.
“My brother meant the world to me." Tyler Vincent said. "He and I grew up together. We played together throughout our youth. He and I have always been very close. We did a lot together. We hunted together, we fished together, we spent a lot of time together. It’s been really tough on the family. It’s been a real struggle.”
Vincent leaves behind a wife, four children and three grandchildren.
