City of Palm Bay News Release

Detective Earns National Certification as Arson Investigator

Posted: 10/17/07

A Palm Bay Police Detective has earned national certification as a fire and explosion investigator which raises the level of expertise and credibility involving arson investigations conducted by the Palm Bay Police Department.  Detective Ernie Diebel is now able to provide expert testimony in court by offering opinions as to the origins and causes of fires and explosions that are deliberately set.  Diebel earned the certification through the National Association of Fire Investigators or NAFI.  In order to obtain the status, Diebel participated in over 500 hours of specialized training including fire and arson investigation, ATF advanced post blast investigations, vehicle fire investigations, fire analysis litigation and other NAFI training programs.  “Many times the crime of arson is overlooked and downplayed as a police function,” said Detective Ernie Diebel.  “The reality is this crime is a serious offense and is becoming more problematic in our society.”  Diebel has worked nearly 200 fire investigations since 2000, so far this year he’s handled 33, 20 of which were known arsons.  Most recently Diebel arrested two suspects in a series of arsons where six vehicles and one trailer were destroyed by fire.          

Diebel is now one of only a few sworn law enforcement officers in the area able to conduct fire investigations.

Photo: Detective Ernie Diebel with Fire Inspector at the scene of a fire at the VFW Post in Palm Bay in February 2006.

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