considered. Any information given out in a high-profile service, such as a Line of Duty Death, could be mentioned or quoted in the news. No member of the funeral home staff should release any information that has not been cleared to be released. When in doubt in any way, the staff should take a message or direct the caller to the appropriate person. Most organizations have a public relations officer or someone who is responsible for communicating with media and responding to other inquires. The funeral home staff should have the contact information for the public relations officer in order to readily relay it to the media and other organizations. nearly all municipalities and agencies between the medical examiner’s office and the funeral home stopped traffic and paid respects as the procession passed. Patrol units on the freeways provided a rolling block of traffic, enabling the funeral coach and escorting officers to be unimpeded en route to the funeral home. Immediately upon arrival back at the funeral home, personnel were waiting to open a garage door for the funeral coach to enter, and then closed it again. It was important for the funeral home staff to communicate with one another, just as the various law enforcement personnel did. There was media presence in the parking lot of the funeral home, and at least one media helicopter that followed the procession from above. It is important in these types of situations to remember that family, friends, and others may be watching this coverage through the media. Immediately upon arrival of the deceased to the funeral home, many agencies and organizations will continue the tradition of remaining at the funeral home while the deceased is there. It is a good practice for the funeral home to have a room prepared and designated for the colleagues of the deceased to gather and stand vigil in. The owner or manager of the funeral home must decide if the personnel will be allowed to remain at or within the funeral home around the clock. If this courtesy is requested and allowed, the ones remaining outside of regular business hours must have access to come and go from the funeral home as needed. Additionally, the designated room which the funeral home provides should include a comfortable place for those to gather, as well as access to necessary facilities. It is important to remember that many of those who will be standing vigil are also grieving the loss of a friend and colleague, and thus should be treated as family would be treated. Especially when tragic circumstances take place, an outpouring of support from within the agency and the general public can be expected. This may include food and drinks being delivered to the funeral home for the personnel standing vigil and the ones coming to pay their respects. Considerations should be given to providing an adequate place for these items to be properly stored and to be made available to the personnel. the funeral home coordinate with the appropriate individual in the organization. The funeral coordinator does not, in any way, take the place of the funeral director. This individual will be responsible for the overall coordination of the involvement of the agency or department in the planning and participation of the funeral. This person will work closely with the funeral director in charge of the service and with the other key leaders in preparing for the service (Silloway, 2011). The family liaison officer (FLO) will be the primary channel of communication and interaction between the family and the agency. With the permission of the family, the FLO will remain with the family throughout the arrangement process, visitations, and services (Silloway, 2011).
within the organization or agency being served. The details and information being communicated is not limited to funeral home staff members and agency personnel. Many calls will come into the funeral home when the firm has been designated to arrange the services. These calls will be from media outlets, other agencies, and general community members. It is important that one person be designated to control the flow of information to ensure accuracy. The primary funeral director in charge of the service will likely be very busy with planning meetings, and should consider designating a person to oversee communications. Any comment made by funeral home staff members or details relayed should be carefully weighed and Removal The first call and removal by funeral home or mortuary staff will normally require much more coordination than a typical first call and removal. The department of the deceased will likely continue the tradition of remaining with the deceased until the time of final disposition. This may include an escort for the removal personnel from the funeral home to the place where the deceased will come into the care of the funeral home. Even more likely will be for an escort of the removal vehicle transporting the deceased back to the funeral home. A funeral home should take into consideration the attention the removal may receive in the public view and in the media. Firms who typically use removal vehicles, such as minivans or cargo vans, may consider selecting the use of a funeral coach for a removal such as this. When law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty, there will normally be an escort of multiple marked vehicles. The removal of a firefighter involved in a Line of Duty Death will normally include an escort to the funeral home by marked fire apparatuses and/or marked law enforcement units. As an example, in 2016, a police officer was killed in the line of duty in Texas. The deceased officer was taken from the hospital, where his death ultimately occurred, to the office of the chief medical examiner. The following morning, the officer’s department coordinated with the funeral home to receive the body of the officer from the medical examiner. There were several municipalities between the funeral home and the medical examiner’s office, and efforts were coordinated between each. Four patrol cars escorted mortuary staff from the funeral home to the medical examiner’s office in a diamond style pattern. This pattern included one patrol unit in front, one behind, and one to each side of the funeral coach. Upon arrival, other units already had the street leading to the medical examiner’s office closed and awaited the escorted funeral home’s arrival. While the coach was still parked inside a garage bay of the medical examiner’s office, the officer’s body was draped with an American flag before being placed in the coach. When prepared for transport back to the funeral home, the same escorts attended the funeral coach, but with many more officers working to stop traffic. Many officers worked together to stop all traffic in the city streets, as well as the freeways along the planned route. Officers from Arranging services When the organization of the deceased has written protocols and procedures, certain members of the organization will immediately be assigned to positions. When organizations are well prepared, the personnel acting in these roles will be trained and prepared to execute the duties assigned to them. These individuals will have specific task to perform and areas of the service they are prepared to coordinate and handle. These positions may vary according to the procedures established by the department and according to the situation. The positions and duties that may be assigned could include funeral coordinator, family liaison officer, public information officer, church coordinator, procession coordinator, and cemetery coordinator (Silloway, 2011). It is important for the funeral director to understand the capacity that these individuals will serve. This will enable the director to properly coordinate with that individual and/or have the appropriate staff member from
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