OCEAN CITY — Long-time Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Detective Corporal Brett Case, affectionately called the “closer” by Chief Ross Buzzuro, was feted with a special retirement ceremony at City Hall this week after a remarkable 28-year career.
Case, whose physical stature and even bigger heart made him one of the OCPD’s most visible officers for nearly the last three decades, began his career in 1989 as a seasonal officer and ascended to be one of the department’s top investigators. Along the way, he was one of the original members of the OCPD’s Mountain Bike Unit and from those early beginnings helped nurture it into one of the department’s most effective units.
In 1998, Case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division Major Crimes Unit, where he distinguished himself as the OCPD’s top investigator and closed countless serious crimes, some of which gained national attention. He was one of the lead detectives in the investigation of one of Ocean City’s most notorious crimes, the famed double-murder carried out by a Pennsylvania couple on Memorial Day weekend in 2002.
He earned a Bronze Star for his investigative work in the so-called Sifrit case. He also earned a Silver Star for removing an 85-year-old woman from her burning home and gathered another Bronze Star for the capture of a serial rapist in Maryland and Delaware, which earned Case an invitation to the White House from former President Bill Clinton. He was also named Neighborhood Watch Officer of the Year in 1994.
“It’s been a very distinguished career and it really has crossed many different paths,” said Mayor Rick Meehan. “We’re very proud of your service to the town of Ocean City, what you’ve accomplished and what you’ve left behind. I’m sure there are a lot of other officers who started after you that learned a lot from you, and we’re going to miss your presence in our police department.”
Buzzuro said on Tuesday he knew of Case’s reputation long before he became OCPD chief in 2013 and that reputation was only enhanced when he met the formidable detective in person.
“I knew of Brett from way, way back because of his stellar reputation in the law enforcement community,” he said. “I first met Brett when I became chief and I thought not only has Ocean City made me police chief, but they have also given me a bodyguard. I say bodyguard and that really holds true because he kind of protects us, not only from a physical standpoint but also with the knowledge he has as a law enforcement professional and a skilled investigator.”
Buzzuro said Case had a reputation as the OCPD’s closer, borrowing an analogy from baseball.
“For me as chief, when something serious happens in the town, I have a lot of good people, but he is the go-to person,” he said. “Brett has been there and he is the closer. He’s the Mariano Rivera of the Ocean City Police Department, even though he’s a Yankee. We’re tasked with finding out what happened and getting to the bottom line and he has done a tremendous job. For me and my commanders, that is very, very important.”
Buzzuro said Case’s reputation as a hard-nosed investigator was matched by his compassion.
“He started with the patrol division and those countless interactions where he was able to give a victim, a person or persons in unfortunate situations some relief or some closure in whatever situation they may be in,” he said. “To be able to give victims assistance or closure by being able to figure out these serious cases countless times is something very admirable and very special.”
While Case is officially retiring after 28 years, he will continue be part of the OCPD.
“This is a win-win situation,” said Buzzuro. “Although Brett is retiring, he is going to be staying on board with us as a reserve police officer. Thank you for your service and the town of Ocean City has been a safer place because of your actions.”
For his part, a clearly emotional Case kept his comments brief.
“Twenty-eight years goes by so quickly,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of friendships along the way and I just want to say thanks.”
