From the John Cooley archive · Originally titled Your Agency – Your Protocol
About this reading
A borrowed protocol can miss the structure, resources, and people of the department that must use it.
Funeral protocols need to be agency specific. The likelihood of an agency having or finding a comprehensive funeral protocol that meets its specific needs when a tragedy occurs is remote. When an agency is in crisis is not the time to discover that the funeral protocol on file or the one found on the internet is not compatible with the agency’s organizational structure, support services, or resources. Every agency’s preparedness and planning objective should be, “Your agency, your protocol.”
The law enforcement funeral protocol, handbook, manual and plan provided are presented as exemplars to emphasize the various styles and content being published as guidelines for law enforcement funerals. All are beneficial and comprehensive, yet different. What style does your agency’s protocol need to be in order to be user friendly in a crisis? How comprehensive does it need to be to meet an agency’s needs? Like a police report, can it be Accurate, Brief, and Complete? Does an agency need a resource library to support its protocol? If so, should it include these protocols?
The Living Resource Guide helps chaplains and police agencies build and maintain a practical collection of trusted contacts, local knowledge, and referral information to support their own protocols. It explains what to include, how to annotate and verify entries, and why a current physical copy belongs within reach. Companion articles explore the relationships and trust that make those contacts useful, while the National Resource Directory connects readers with broader programs, training, and toolkits for officers, families, and communities.
By John Cooley | Policefunerals.com