Whether in the line of duty or non-line of duty, employee deaths are an emotional time for a police department. During these trying times, many employees want to find a role or a way to help, while others get caught up in the emotion during funeral planning and want to make everything bigger and better. The Phoenix Police Department has a policy guiding what services and movements the Department authorizes, allowing each death to be treated in a consistent manner (PPD Operations Orders, 2020). Although all employee deaths represent loss and impact a police department, line of duty deaths have a more significant negative impact because it is the reality each officer faces when they put on their badge. Line of duty deaths also tend to stir memories of those who have fallen in the past, their close calls, and family members that fear for their safety.
When a Phoenix Police Department employee dies, EAU assigns detectives to the employee’s family to provide emotional care and assist with funeral arrangements. EAU detectives are with the family immediately and remain engaged with them throughout the funeral services, memorial services, and as long as the family wants EAU to be connected. As discussed in the previous critical incident section, EAU responds to the scene of the incident, the hospital, and anywhere else needed to assist employees (Operations Orders, 2020). A majority of the time, EAU sends either someone from EAU or CISM and someone from CPR to communications to help the dispatcher working the incident. When an officer dies, EAU coordinates being at the affected precinct’s briefings for the next 24 hours, as details of the incident are shared. The three-pronged EAU approach, CPR, and a chaplain will attend the briefings and talk to employees about grief and proper coping mechanisms, signs, symptoms of depression or PTSD, and what resources are available for employees and their families. EAU has found it is not just the employees involved in the incident that are affected when an officer is killed in the line of duty; for many officers’ families fear their loved one could be critically injured or killed at work, causing more stress on the officer. EAU follows-up with everyone involved in the incident, including investigators, to remind employees of the services and support available to them.
When an officer is killed in the line of duty, the Phoenix Police Department has policies in place that start with administrative movements from the hospital or scene of the incident to the Medical Examiner’s Office and later to the funeral home. The Department’s funeral policy (Operations Orders, 2020) states the Employee Assistance Unit, and Honor Guard play crucial roles in planning an employee’s funeral and delivering services. The Phoenix Police Department does not pay for an officer’s funeral, but generous contributions from businesses and citizens have provided the essential services. Although each funeral service is different, the Department will attempt to support the deceased employee’s family’s wishes while following established departmental policies and practices. The wishes of the employee’s family will take precedence over the Department’s desires (Operation Orders, 2020).
The coordination of funeral and visitation/viewing services may cross jurisdictional lines depending on where the services are held and thus require collaboration between many different partners. To facilitate that the services go smoothly, the Phoenix Police Department has at least two planning meetings before the services with all of the different partners, going over all of the movements and orders of service, so the services run smooth. This planning ensures everyone involved understands the details, policies are being followed, and all partners provide consistent service. The day of the visitation/viewing and funeral are very emotional. EAU and the Honor Guard run the services for the Department to honor the fallen officer. The Phoenix Police Department has its Public Affairs Bureau take photographs and video at all services, so the fallen officer’s family can memorialize their loved one.
EAU detectives act as the liaisons between the family of the fallen officer and everyone else. EAU detectives also work on the paperwork that follows when an officer is killed in the line of duty. The paperwork includes workers’ compensation, federal benefits, National Law Enforcement Memorial, benefits, life insurance, and more. EAU keeps folders and books with the paperwork from previous officers killed in the line of duty, which helps current detectives who may have never been involved in the line of duty death paperwork. Once the funeral is over, EAU detectives are still there for the fallen officer’s family, helping them with benefits, counseling, and future memorial and dedication events. The Phoenix Police Department assists with several memorial events each year, including the City of Phoenix Memorial (fallen officer’s name is added to the City of Phoenix Employee Memorial), Phoenix Police Department Awards Ceremony (fallen officer will be awarded the Medal of Honor), Phoenix Police Department Memorial, Arizona State Fallen Officer Memorial (fallen officer’s name is added to the State of Arizona Fallen Officer Memorial, National Law Enforcement Memorial (fallen officer’s name added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial), Memorial Sign Dedication (memorial sign with fallen officer’s name and End of Watch date placed near the location where the fallen officer died), and Blue Mass. Families of fallen officers are often regularly requested to attend other charity and non-Phoenix Police Department related events, which EAU helps the family vet. The Phoenix Police Department’s funeral policy also has procedures for when an employee dies and it is not a line of duty death (Operations Orders, 2020). The policy for non-line duty funerals is similar to the line of duty, but a few of the services are not offered, such as an Honor Guard Cordon, Echo Taps, Bag Pipes and Drums, and a procession. The Department’s funeral policy also lists available services for civilian employees and retirees (Operations Orders, 2020). By having a policy already in place that only differentiates between a line of duty and non-line of duty and sworn, civilian, and retiree, the Department puts all employee deaths into one of the four categories, so the cause of death and the popularity/rank of the employee does not matter.