NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT - New Albany, Ohio

NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Directive 11.1 - Death Notification
11.1.1 Policy
It shall be the responsibility of the New Albany Police Department to provide liaison assistance to
the immediate family members/survivors of an employee who is killed or seriously injured in the
line of duty, to include clarification of survivor benefits, and to provide emotional support. In
addition, the New Albany Police Department will provide timely, compassionate assistance to the
family/next-of-kin during death notifications within the community.
11.1.2 Line-of-Duty Death/Injury
The following services will be rendered to Police Department employees and their families
following line-of-duty deaths or serious injuries:
A. If an employee of the Police Department is killed or seriously injured while in the
line-of-duty, the on duty shift supervisor will immediately notify the Chief of Police.
The Chief of Police, or a supervisor designated by the Chief of Police, shall proceed
immediately to the employee’s residence to notify the family. The notification by the
Chief of Police/supervisor will be in person and at least one additional employee
(preferably a friend of the deceased/injured employee) shall accompany the Chief of
Police/supervisor. If the employee’s clergy is known, he/she will be notified as soon as
possible to provide assistance. The Police Department’s Chaplain(s) and/or clergy from
the Fraternal Order of Police may also be contacted to provide assistance. The name of
the deceased employee will not be released to the media before the immediate family
members/survivors are notified.
B. If a seriously injured employee is receiving treatment at a hospital, the Chief of
Police/supervisor will arrange transportation for the employee’s family to the hospital.
The on duty supervisor may order additional personnel to assist in any investigation,
coordinate media releases, and provide comfort and security to the family at the hospital.
C. Support will be provided to a deceased employee’s family prior to, during, and after the
funeral and burial of any Police Department employee. This assistance may include, but
is not limited to, assuming responsibility for or offering assistance for funeral
arrangements, escorts, honor guard, pallbearers, and transportation of family members.
D. The Chief of Police, with assistance from the City Manager’s office and Finance
Department, will assist with the coordination of benefits to which the surviving family
member(s) is/are entitled. This may include providing assistance/counseling with legal
matters, financial matters, and/or other family problems. It may also include providing
the family with information on benefits, such as line-of-duty injury or death benefits,
insurance benefits, pension benefits/options, etc.
E. The Chief of Police, or his/her designee, will coordinate and provide support for the
family during any criminal proceedings arising from the incident. This support may
include transportation of the family to and from court proceedings and providing
uniformed officer escorts for security and support.
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