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G.O. 24 LONGWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER NUMBER: GO - 24 SUBJECT: LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY EFFECTIVE: OCTOBER 1, 1995 REVISED: GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 1 OF 9 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to define the procedures to be followed in the event an employee has suffered a serious (life threatening) injury or has died in the line of duty. II. SCOPE: It is the policy of the Longwood Police Department to provide assistance to the immediate family of a severely injured or deceased employee. Procedures outlining notification of the employee’s immediate family and subsequent assistance are included within this directive. III. DEFINITIONS: A. Line of Duty Death: Death resulting from felonious or accidental circumstances while an employee is on duty or acting within the scope of their employment. B. Ranking Supervisor (Present At The Scene): The term Ranking Supervisor (Present At The Scene) denotes the ranking supervisor present at the scene of the incident where an employee has been seriously injured or killed. The ranking supervisor is given the responsibility and command authority to place into effect certain provisic5ns of this General Order. C. Notification Officer: A Commander or above chosen to notify the family. D. Immediate Family: GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 2 OF 9 The order of notification priority will be: the employee’s spouse, children, parents and siblings. E. Family Liaison Coordinator: An employee (preferably a friend of the family) designated by the Chief of Police to coordinate agency assistance with the injured/deceased employee’s immediate family. F. Emergency Services Officer: The Emergency Services Officer directs the funeral services. G. Family Support Advocate: A Victim Advocate or other designated employee assigned to coordinate long- term liaison between the family and the Longwood Police Department. IV. NOTIFICATION OF THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY: A. At any scene where an employee has received a life-threatening injury or has been killed, the employee’s family will be notified as soon as possible. B. Timeliness of family notification is essential. It is imperative that the immediate family is notified prior to learning about it from outside sources, such as the news media. It is accepted that the media will be on the scene quickly, occupying both ground and aerial observation posts. Knowledge of this should reinforce the necessity of timely notification. C. It is incumbent upon the Ranking Supervisor (Present At The Scene) to ensure that notification is made to the Chief of Police and to the family as expeditiously as possible. Timeliness of this notification may take precedence over chain of command protocol. D. A Notification Officer will be a Lieutenant or above (Present At The Scene). The Notification Officer will be accompanied on the notification by one other employee (preferably a Victim Advocate or employee who is a friend of the family). E. Method and Expectations of Notification: 1. Admittance to the residence should be requested prior to making notification. GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 3 OF 9 2. Notification should be made slowly in clear, definitive words. If the employee has already died, that information will be clearly stated. 3. Any number of reactions from family members including hysteria, anger, fainting, physical violence, or shock, should be expected. F. In the event an employee is seriously injured or has already died, every effort should be made to provide transportation for the family to the hospital, if they desire to go. G. Longwood Police Department employees are authorized to transport family members to the hospital. Should family members insist on transporting themselves to the hospital, an employee should accompany them in their vehicle. H. An offer to notify other family members will be made. If the family desires to make their own notifications, employees will not interfere. I. If the family desires the Longwood Police Department to make notifications of other family members, the Notification Officer shall obtain the names and addresses of relatives to contact. J. If family members live in surrounding counties, notification should be made in person by employees of this Department. K. For notifications outside of the immediate county area, notifications should be made by the local law enforcement agency in that area. 1. The Notification Officer shall telephonically relay the names of family members living in the area that have already been notified. 2. The Telecommunications Section or supervisor will telephone the appropriate law enforcement jurisdiction requesting a personal death notification. The area code and telephone number of the Notification Officer will be provided. A request for notification confirmation will be made. 3. The Notification Officer may personally elect to contact the law enforcement agency by telephone. 4. The Notification Officer shall maintain a written log of who was notified and when notification was made. V. ADDITIONAL NOTIFICATIONS: GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 4 OF 9 The on duty supervisor or Telecommunications Section will ensure that the Chief of Police, Assistant Chief of Police and Patrol Commander are notified. Division Supervisors will take immediate steps to notify every employee under his/her command. VI. NOTIFICATION OF THE NEWS MEDIA: A. Upon notification, the Public Information Officer will respond to the scene and prepare a briefing for media representatives. B. The name of any seriously injured or deceased employee will not be released to the news media until after the immediate family members have been notified. No information in regard to family members’ addresses or telephone numbers will be released to any representative of the media by the Public Information Officer. C. The Public Information Officer is responsible for: 1. Handling exchanges with the news media throughout the incident; 2. Coordinating any press release with the Criminal Investigation Division’s on-scene investigator to ensure that no information is released that might jeopardize investigation or prosecution of the case. D. In order to screen questions should a family member accept an interview with the news media, the Public Information Officer will be provided with specific instructions regarding what information may be released. VII. ASSISTING FAMILY MEMBERS AT THE HOSPITAL: A. Hospital Liaison Coordinator: The Ranking Supervisor (Present At The Scene) shall dispatch a supervisor to the hospital where the injured or deceased employee is to be transported. The supervisor shall: 1. Establish liaison with hospital personnel; 2. Make arrangements with hospital personnel for appropriate waiting facilities. Two separate areas should be reserved for: a. Immediate family members, the Chief of Police, the Command Staff and others requested by the family, and b. Other employees, media representatives, and other persons. GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 5 OF 9 3. It shall be the responsibility of the Hospital Liaison Coordinator to arrange transportation from the hospital for immediate family members and others as required. B. Family members will be allowed time with the injured or deceased employee. With the exception of hospital staff or for reasons of investigative necessity, the Hospital Liaison Coordinator should do everything within his/her power to ensure that the family is given as much privacy as possible. C. Longwood Police Department employees present at the hospital: 1. Shall make every effort to maintain self-discipline; 2. Are admonished that rudeness or arrogance towards the public, including media representatives, is considered unacceptable behavior; and, 3. Shall not make promises to the family regarding the employee (e.g. posthumous promotion, retiring the employee’s identification number, etc.). VIII. FAMILY SUPPORT: A. As soon as possible after the employee’s injury or death, the Chief of Police will designate the following: 1. Family Liaison Coordinator; 2. Family Support Advocate; and 3. Benefits Coordinator. B. Family Liaison Coordinator: 1. The Family Liaison Coordinator provides contact between the family of a deceased employee and the Chief of Police. 2. The first responsibility of the Family Liaison Coordinator will be to determine the needs of the family, and to offer the services defined within this directive. NOTE: If the family desires no Longwood Police Department participation in the funeral services or other matters, the Chief of Police will be immediately notified. GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 6 OF 9 3. The Family Liaison Coordinator has authority to make expedient requests of Longwood Police Department resources. 4. The Family Liaison Coordinator will work closely with the Emergency Services Commander in establishing and fulfilling the family’s requests regarding funeral arrangements. 5. The Family Liaison Coordinator will remain in close proximity to the family throughout the funeral service. C. Family Support Advocate: A Victim Advocate or other personnel may be assigned with the approval of the family. Duties of the Family Support Advocate shall include: 1. Accommodating all feasible requests for assistance; 2. Remaining in long-term contact with the family. D. Benefits Coordinator: The City Finance and Personnel directors will act as the Benefit Coordinators and will be responsible for the following: 1. Ensuring that the supervisor of the Investigation Division has ordered a toxicology examination at the time of autopsy. A facsimile of this report must be submitted to the Personnel for compliance with federal and state mandates. 2. Filing Workers’ Compensation claims or other related reports; 3. Compiling information on all benefits and/or payments available to the family to include the Public Safety Officers Benefits Act payments provided by the United States Department of Justice and the State of Florida; 4. Preparing documentation of the benefits and/or funeral payments due to the family, listing named beneficiaries, contact persons at the various benefits offices, and approximate time frame that the benefits can be expected to be received; 5. Completing all benefit related paperwork and assisting the family to ensure that the benefits are being received; GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 7 OF 9 6. At a time considered appropriate by the Family Liaison Coordinator or at the request of the family itself, the Benefits Coordinator will: a. Visit the family to provide the appropriate documentation and to discuss benefits; - b. If there are surviving children from a former marriage, provide the guardian of those children with similar documentation that outlines what benefits the children will be receiving; c. Give special attention to procedures for maintaining health insurance coverage to avoid cancellation should continuation of benefits be needed by surviving family members. 7. Fielding and referring all inquiries made to the Longwood Police Department regarding the establishment of any special trust funds or educational funds. 8. The Chief of Police will review the benefit documentation to ensure that all benefits have been exercised. IX. FUNERAL DETAILS: A. Emergency Services Commander: 1. The Emergency Services Commander is in charge of the funeral arrangements. The Emergency Services Commander is responsible for coordinating and scheduling the following assignments: a. Bier Watch; b. Honor Guard; c. Pallbearers (if appropriate); d. Traffic escorts; e. Procession route design and traffic posts; f. Parking at the church and cemetery; g. Coordination of other agencies’ participation; h. Assistance from other jurisdictions if the services extend beyond Seminole County. GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 8 OF 9 2. The Emergency Services Commander may be in command at the funeral service and at the burial site. The Emergency Services Commander will review the Honor Guard Unit’s standard operating procedure and will comply with the instructions that address the role of “Event Commander". B. Bier Watch: The purpose of the Bier Watch is to stand guard at the funeral home in respect to the deceased, to provide security for the funeral home, and to have a Longwood Police Department representative available 24 hours a day to answer questions that may arise. 1. The Bier Watch will be maintained at the funeral home on an around— the—clock basis (except during official viewing hours, when the responsibility is that of the Honor Guards’) and will only be discontinued upon commencement of the actual funeral service. 2. The responsibility for the Bier Watch will be assigned to a cross-section of personnel from the Department. The watch will be stood in uniform. 3. The Bier Watch will require one uniformed employee. The employee shall remain in the parking lot area of the funeral home or inside the lobby of the funeral home itself. Personnel assigned to this duty will be relieved on a schedule established by the Emergency Services Commander. At no time will personnel assigned to the Bier Watch desert the post unless specifically relieved by another employee assigned to the detail or by the Honor Guard. 4. The Emergency Services Commander will ensure that personnel assigned to the Bier Watch promptly relieve the Honor Guard upon conclusion of the official viewing(s). C. Honor Guard: 1. The Honor Guard is responsible for providing the formal Bier Watch during official viewing hours. This will encompass the ceremonial posting of guards that flank the casket. 2. Upon notification that a death has occurred, Honor Guard personnel will be immediately relieved from normal agency duty and will report to the Emergency Services Commander. D. Pallbearers: GENERAL ORDER LINE OF DUTY DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY GO – 24 PAGE 9 OF 9 If requested by the family, six to eight employees will be requested for duty as pallbearers. Those chosen for this duty will report to the Emergency Services Commander. NOTE: Due to the number of duties assigned to the Honor Guard, the use of the Honor Guard to perform the pallbearer function is discouraged. X. LONGWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT SUPPORT DURING THE TRIAL: A. The supervisor of the Criminal Investigations Division shall utilize the assigned Family Support Advocate or other employee to keep the family informed of all court proceedings. B. The family should be encouraged to attend the trial in order to represent the injured or deceased employee’s interest. C. Failure to disclose facts may be viewed as an attempt to conceal information and could create serious concerns within the family. If any information cannot be disclosed because of legal or prosecutorial reasons, this will be explained to the family. XI. MISCELLANEOUS: Nothing in this directive shall restrict the Chief of Police from extending the services provided by this General Order to the family of any employee who has died of non-line of duty causes.