Washington Wilbert Vault Works, Inc.

07/28/2021

Don't forget to register for Tomorrow's Continuing Education Event!

wilbert.com/wilbertedu

07/21/2021

Jeffrey Rizzo, 43, suffered and succumbed to a sudden medical emergency soon after his shift on July 8. He had proudly served as a professional firefighter/paramedic with Loudoun County Fire and Rescue (VA) since 2017. He also worked part-time at Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company (2017-2019), Sykesville Freedom District Fire (2015-2019), and volunteered his time at West Friendship Fire Department (2010-2021).

Mr. Rizzo is survived by his wife, 2 sons, his mother and father, 2 step parents, and so many brothers and sisters at Loudoun County Fire and Rescue and in the local community.

He was honored during services on Saturday, July 17 at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, VA, with procession and burial following at Crestlawn Memorial Gardens in Marriottsville, MD. Arrangements were made by Burrier-Queen Funeral Home & Crematory, P.A.

Washington Wilbert Vault Works, Inc. in Laurel, MD, was honored to provide the family a Stainless Steel Triune burial vault with a Legacy Custom image, a graveside service, and a handmade heirloom register book with engraved wooden box, programs and prayer cards to match the Legacy Custom image.

06/24/2021

We have another free continuing education event coming up!

Visit us at https://www.wilbert.com/wilbertedu/ to register today!

01/21/2021

Continuing Education is back! Wilbert is offering APFSP certified courses. For more information, visit

10/17/2019

Please take a moment today to remember fallen Trooper First Class Edward Plank Jr.
Trooper First Class Edward Plank Jr was 28 years old, with 6 years and 10 months of service from December 28, 1988 to October 17, 1995.
In the early hours of October 17, 1995, he performed a routine traffic stop on Rt. 13, in Princess Anne, at Perry Road with a vehicle occupied by two subjects. Trooper Dennis Lord backed him up on his stop. TFC Plank grew suspicious during the stop when the driver gave him a fictitious name. When Plank approached the vehicle to inquire further, the driver fired on Plank shooting him in the face and killing him instantly. The driver then fired towards Trooper Lord, who returned fire and struck one of the suspects once in the arm and once in the head. The driver and passenger fled southbound on Rt.13 to Rt.413, continuing southbound towards Crisfield. They were apprehended later that day. The shooter pled guilty to first degree murder on May 14, 1996. He is serving a lifetime prison sentence.
TFC Plank is remembered fondly by many in the community. May he rest in peace.

10/15/2019

09/30/2019

The Prince George’s County Police family is mourning the loss of one of our own. Corporal Marquette Turner died Sunday morning during a medical emergency.

Corporal Turner was a 16-year veteran of the agency. The well-liked, dedicated officer spent the majority of his career assigned to the Bureau of Patrol – at the District IV station in Oxon Hill.

Corporal Turner grew up in Washington DC. Prior to joining the Prince George’s County Police Department, he served in the Army. He loved serving others in the military and as a police officer and he truly loved the Washington Redskins.

He is survived by his four children, sister, brother, and mother and many other relatives and his family here at the Prince George’s County Police Department. We offer our deepest condolences to his entire family.

09/27/2019

Trooper Tracy Vickers was killed in a vehicle crash on Route 408, near Conway Road, at approximately 5:50 am.

09/04/2019

Let's have a great ending today!

One of our K9s deserves a big treat! In just a three-day period, Bella and her handler, Cpl. Cicale were pivotal in two cases. First, the partners conducted a track and located a potential piece of evidence in a homicide. Then Bella the bloodhound used her nose to locate a missing elderly man who suffers from dementia. Cpl. Cicale collected a scent pad using the missing man’s blanket and hat and Bella was on her way. She found the man lying on the ground several streets away. He was extremely dehydrated and was able to get the care he needed. Great job Bella and Corporal Cicale!

09/01/2019

Let us pause to remember our fallen hero, Officer Edward D. Merson, lost this day in 1937.

Ofc. Merson was born on December 17, 1890, in Laurel, Maryland. He served with honor and distinction in the United States Army during World War I. Ofc. Merson was appointed to the Prince George’s County Police Department on June 3, 1935, and assigned to the Hyattsville Station.

On the morning of September 1, 1937, Ofc. Merson received a call for a vehicle that was submerged in Blue Pond with its occupants reportedly drowned. While en route to the scene, Ofc. Merson lost control of his police vehicle on Baltimore Avenue, left the roadway, and struck a tree near what is now Muirkirk Road. Ofc. Merson was transported to Casualty Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he succumbed to his injuries several hours later.

Ofc. Merson served the Prince George’s County Police Department for two years and was the first member of this Agency to make the Ultimate Sacrifice. He was the second law enforcement officer to give his life in service to this Profession within Prince George’s County.

At the time of his death, Officer Edward D. Merson was 46 years old and survived by his wife and two children.

09/01/2019

Let us pause to remember our fallen hero, Sergeant. Mark Murphy lost this day in 1988.

Sgt. Murphy was born on June 26, 1953, in Tacoma, Washington. He moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 1972 and spent the next two years as a fingerprint clerk for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Police Department. Sgt. Murphy joined the Prince George’s County Police Department on March 10, 1974. Upon completion of his academy training in August of that year, he was assigned to the Seat Pleasant District Station. In 1976, Sgt. Murphy was transferred to the Special Operations Division and two years later joined the Emergency Services Team.

On the evening of August 31, 1988, at approximately 2000 hours, Sgt. Murphy and his team where preparing to execute a narcotics search warrant on 64th Ave. Riverdale, Maryland. As they approached the target apartment, Sgt. Murphy assumed a kneeling position and deployed a hydraulic device to assist in making entry. As the device took effect, his teammates perceived a deadly threat from within the target apartment and responded with lethal force. As Sgt. Murphy stood up from his position, he inadvertently entered his colleagues’ line of fire and was gravely wounded. The Sergeant was rushed to Prince George’s Hospital Center where he succumbed to his injuries on the morning of September 1, 1988.

Sgt. Murphy served the Prince George’s County Police Department for fourteen years and was the 16th member of this Agency to make the Ultimate Sacrifice. He was the 27th law enforcement officer to give his life in service to this Profession within Prince George’s County.

At the time of his death, Sergeant Mark Kevin Murphy was 35 years old and survived by his wife of three weeks, his teenage daughter, and stepdaughter.

Let us learn from their stories, so that our safety today stands as a lasting tribute to those who have gone before us…..And let us keep their flame forever burning bright.