Bloomfield Hills Police Sergeant Dies From Heart Attack

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — Steven Splan, a sergeant with the Bloomfield Hills Police Department, died Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Splan, 46, suffered the heart attack several hours after cutting and removing a large tree that had fallen onto Bloomfield Hills Parkway, east of Woodward Avenue.

Later in the day, the memorial page posted, Splan returned to the station and was found unresponsive around 11 p.m.

Splan had served with the Bloomfield Hills Police Department for 15 years, according to the memorial page. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Splan is the second officer in Michigan to die within the past week. On Friday, Michigan State Police Trooper Caleb Starr died from injuries sustained during a head-on crash with a drunk driver from July 10.

Starr, 33, had joined the Michigan State Police, serving out of the Lakeview Post, in September 2018, as a member of the 135th Trooper Recruit School. He is survived by his wife, Rachael, who is a civilian member of the MSP, and their two young daughters.

“The Michigan State Police mourns the loss of not just a trooper, but a husband, father and dedicated public servant who had so much left to give in a life that was cut far too short,” said Col. Joe Gasper, director of the MSP.

The deaths of two officers was mentioned on social media by Rep. Matt Koleszar, a sponsor of Houe Bill 4426, which would provide financial aid assistance to certain survivors of Michigan police officers and Michigan firefighters killed in the line of duty.

"Two Michigan Police Officers died in the line of duty this week, leaving behind six fatherless children," he tweeted. "It’s past time that we pass HB4426 and guarantee their children receive their full education survivor benefits."