The death of a law enforcement member in the line of duty is going to require an agency to have an immediate planned response in two specific areas:

Part I: Death notification to the family of the deceased officer.

Part II: Established protocol for the coordination of the police funeral.

The way each of these areas of concern is handled will effect the family, other agency employees, and the agency itself for a long time. It is imperative that both issues be addressed with the greatest possible degree of professionalism and sensitivity by all who are involved.

PART I

1.O DEATH NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE

The death notification procedure would require a specific, immediate, delegated response and would bring together the following people:

1.1 Department Chaplain

1.2 Chief Administrator of Agency (optional)

1.3 Designated Department Representative(s)

1.4 OIC, Supervisor, or Close Friend(s) of Officer

This delegation would be assembled as soon as possible and dispatched to the appropriate location to officially notify the officer's next of kin.

Due to the obvious emotional reactions that usually follows the delivery of such news, it is suggested that the notification be made by the department Chaplain in the presence of the agency representatives. There are specific death notification procedures that include not only the delivery of the news, but also the support of the deceased officer's family both initially and long term. The Chaplain would start this process and remain in this capacity as long as the family needs and desires his presence.

PART II

PROTOCOL FOR THE POLICE FUNERAL

1.0 ROLE ASS1GNMENT STAGE

Appointment of the Funeral Operation Command Staff

Upon the death (in the line of duty) of a police employee, the following positions should be appointed. (Depending upon the size of the department, one person may have to fill several roles. Allied agency assistance may be requested by departments having no specialized ceremonial units in place.)

1.1 Funeral Operations Coordinator

The Funeral Operations Coordinator (FOC) will be responsible for the entire funeral operation. The FCO should be at least at a Lieutenant's level due to the nature of the people to be handled in this event. He will also act as command officer at the funeral service. All other members of the funeral operations command staff will assist the coordinator in the planning, directing, and carrying out of the funeral service.

1.2 Chaplain/Minister

The Chaplain/Minister will be responsible for conducting the funeral services (wake, rosary, memorial service, committal service, etc.) and meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of the family. The Chaplain should work in close concert with the FOC to insure all phases of planning are complete and will in fact work to meet family and agency desires.

1.3 Family Contact

This person (or persons) will remain with the family at all times, providing security, transportation, and liaison between the FOC and the family. This position can also be handled by the department's Chaplain.

1.4 Division Contact

This person (or persons) should be from the division, department, etc. that the deceased employee worked at. They provide liaison between the Commander, fellow employees, and the FOC.

1.5 Travel Coordinator

This person will be responsible for arranging and coordinating any travel or lodging if the deceased person is to be buried in another city or state, where overnight stay is necessary.

1.6 Traffic Supervisor

This person is responsible for coordinating and conducting any and all movements of vehicles involved in the funeral. (Movement of the remains from the funeral home to the church, family processions, divisional processions, and funeral processions, etc.)

1.7 Ceremonial Unit Supervisor

This is the person responsible for all ceremonial rites; such as taps, 21 gun salute, bagpipes, and flag folding, at the funeral home, church, or cemetery.

2.0 INFORMATION STAGE

Funeral Operations Coordinator

**Arrange A Family Meeting Including the Department Chaplain:

2.1 Explain what a police funeral entails.

2.2 Determine if the family desires a police funeral service and/or the police department's assistance.

2.3 Offer assistance of the family contact person(s), who will arrange transportation and/or lodging needs for the family members arriving from another location.

2.4 Let the family choose the funeral home and clergy desired.

2.5 Once selected, contact the funeral home and schedule a meeting for the family.

2.6 Ensure that the family has signed the necessary forms (hospital, coroner, and/or medical release forms).

2.7 If the family wishes the deceased employee to be buried in uniform, ensure that a cleaned uniform in good repair is available.

2.9 Ask the family's preference on pallbearers, if this is not provided by the ceremonial unit.

2.10 Get all the information on the deceased employee and his dependants for the necessary city, state, and federal benefit forms.

**After the Family Meeting:

2.11 Contact the pallbearers and compile a list for the funeral home personnel to be used in obituary and newspaper notices. The pallbearers will need as much time as possible to rehearse and practice their maneuvers.

2.12 Make arrangements for an honor watch at the funeral home or church. Included during this seven day period of mourning would be the normal observances already subscribed to by law enforcement agencies such as: black bands on badges, and appropriate flags flown at half mast during the period of mourning.

2.13 Secure an American Flag for the casket.

2.14 Secure a photograph of the deceased from the family or the department's records for use by the funeral director (styling of hair, restoration work, etc.) and for the news media.

**Family and Funeral Home Meeting (Including Chaplain):

2.15 Give the funeral director the list of the pallbearers and inform him that a police funeral service will be held, with details to be worked out later with him and the Chaplain.

2.16 Take note of all service and interment times and places.

2.17 Get Minister, Priest, or Rabbi's name and phone number, if the service is not to be done by a Chaplain. (The Chaplain will then become the liaison between the clergy and FOC.

2.18 Obtain the name of the funeral director that will be in charge of the funeral and burial services. (Especially important if more than one funeral home is involved in cases where burial may be in another location.)

2.19 Determine if it will be open or closed casket service and if open, at what point in the service will the casket be opened, and when the casket will be closed for the final time (for removal of the badge, awards, weapons, etc.).

2.20 Determine when the deceased will be ready for viewing or to lie in state.

2.21 Immediately after the family and funeral home meeting, give all the information of funeral and burial service times and location to:

a) Chief administrator's office
b) Deceased employee's supervisor and/or commander
c) Public information officer or media representatives
d) Dispatch for teletype to other agencies (NCIC, TCIC)

**Chaplain/Minister Meeting:

2.22 If the funeral service is to be conducted by clergy who is not a law enforcement chaplain, the chaplain must meet with them and explain what a police funeral service consists of.

2.23 Obtain the order of the service for the funeral and committal services.

3.0 PLANNING STAGE

Funeral Operations Coordinator

**Funeral Home Meeting:

3.1 Make arrangements for twenty-four (24) hour honor watch and viewing of the deceased.

3.2 Arrange to have a door left unlocked if they normally close at a certain time.

**On Site Inspection of The Place Of Service (Funeral Service):

3.3 Make a diagram of the sanctuary/auditorium and necessary areas.

3.4 Determine the maximum occupancy and work out arrangements for overflow crowd. Secure a public address system if necessary.

3.5 Determine where the family will enter for the funeral service so that the guards can he properly posted.

3.6 Determine seating arrangements and reserve seating.

**On Site Inspection of the Place of Burial (Committal Service):

3.7 Make a diagram of the cemetery and surrounding areas.

3.8 Determine where entrances to the cemetery are located, processional routes to the graveside, and parking locations.

3.9 Determine where the funeral coach and family limo's will stop.

3.10 Determine where the family will be during the committal service, and locations for the ceremonial unit, media, honor guards, pallbearers, family friends and citizens, and uniformed officers.


**Funeral Operations Command Staff Meeting:

3.11 Determine if all the arrangements have been made for:

a) Funeral Service: Responsibility of the FOC, Chaplain, Division Contact.

b) Procession Times, Routes, and Parking logistics: responsibility of the Traffic Supervisor.

c) Travel Arrangements (airlines, lodging, meals, vehicles, etc): Responsibility of the travel Supervisor. (Determine who will make the trip – Fellow Officers, Work mates, Academy Classmates, etc.

d) Escorts and security for top level dignitaries.

e) Committal Service (firing team, color guard, bugler, piper, flag folders, etc): Responsibility of the FOC, Chaplain, and Ceremonial Unit Supervisor.

4.0 OPERATIONS STAGE

Funeral Operations Command Staff

**Pre-Service Processions:

4.1 Funeral home to church.

4.2 Divisional personnel and fellow employees procession.

**Pre-service Events:

4.4 Parking lot detail; responsible for providing parking assistance and traffic control around the funeral location site.

4.5 Honor guard; responsible for providing the appropriate honors to the family upon their arrival at the place of service.

4.6 Ushers; responsible for coordinating and providing assistance to individuals arriving for the service, and in securing seating for family members, pallbearers, dignitaries, visiting law enforcement personnel, family friends, and citizens.

**Funeral Service

**Funeral Procession:

4.7 The following individuals should be part of a small procession that precedes the main funeral procession to the cemetery:

a) FOC
b) Ceremonial Unit Supervisor and Staff
c) Funeral Home Flower Vehicles
d) Funeral Service Ushers

4.8 The funeral procession should be arranged as follows;

a) Motorcycle Escorts
b) Lead Police Vehicle (1)
c) Funeral Director
d) Chaplain/Minister
e) Pallbearers
f) Funeral Coach
g) Family Limo's
h) Family Cars
i) Police Vehicles
j) Other Vehicles
k) Rear Escort

**Pre-cemetery Events:

4.9 Placement of the following personnel or guards;

a) Color Guard
b) Bugler
c) Firing Team
d) Honor Detail (flag folders)
e) Media Representatives

4.10 Placement of ushers to provide direction;

a) for placement of uniformed personnel in block formation(s)
b) for placement of family friends and citizens
c) for crowd control, security, and keeping areas free of individuals so as not to hinder viewing by the family, media or dignitaries.

**Committal Service

**Post-committal Service Events:

4.11 Family Procession Departure

4.12 Control Of News Media

4.13 Burial Of Deceased Employee

5.0 FOLLOW-UP STAGE

**Appointment of the Benefactor's Coordinator

**Contact by the Chaplain on important anniversaries, birthdays, etc.

**Police Memorial Day Services

6.0 CONCLUSION

All of the above activities are scaled to the maximum effort in the event an officer is killed in the line of duty. However, a modified funeral / memorial service would be implemented if a current or retired law enforcement department member should die other than duty related. But in fact, this downscaling would he determined by a combination of family, FOC, and department Chaplain.