U.S. Police - burial ceromony?

[OwainGlyndwyr]

Hello all,

One of my characters, a Los Angeles Police Officer, is killed early on in my script. For the funeral scene I was wondering if anybody could tell me if there are any special ceromonies held for a fallen police officer? Does he get a flag draped coffin? Does he get an honor guard? 21 gun salute? Also, does anybody know if there would be a specific cemetery that he would be buried in?

Thanks in advance for anybody who may be able to help me out here.

O.G.

[britwrit]

Don't know about LA but cop funerals in New York are always a big deal - even before 9/11. There's a flag draped coffin, hundreds of cops in their dress uniforms and usually bagpipes playing. The mayor usually shows up as well.

[BeefMissile]

Check www.LAPD.org and the Police Memorial Museum in Miami FL for more details. When a LEO(law enforcement officer) is killed, other LEOs wear black bands around their badges and normally have large funerals. These include;
1 21 gun salutes with 12 ga police shotguns or rifles.
2 US flags on the coffin.
3 bag-pipes
4 honor guard(s)

[OwainGlyndwyr]

Thank you both for the comments and leads ... much appreciated.

O.G.

[judgemental]

This isn't in any particular order ...just throwing this out there as it comes to mind

- an honor guard bearing rifles and flags (usually a 21 gun salute)
- bagpipes (already mentioned)
- a bugler who will play taps at graveside
- the pall bearers are usually part of the honor guard. When they raise the casket either they keep it at waist level or raise to shoulder - after this they march in goose-step unison. Steal taps on the bottoms of their shoes make a sound when striking pavement (obviously) and the tempo is long between each "clack"

...something like this:

"clack"(one-one-thousand)"clack"(two-one-thousand)"clack". etc.etc.

The procession before they get to graveside can be miles long (there was one in DC that people who could remember said was longer than Kennedy's).

Once at graveside, when the casket is taken out (as previously described) by the honor guard - the call to all the officers attending (those who served with the fallen and those who simply are a part of the department - and other departments ... different jurisdictions send their own honor guard from the hundreds of miles around ...sometimes from across the country), are given the order to salute:

"DEE-TAILLLLL .... PREEEESENT ARMS!!!"

The honor guard not carrying the casket then raise the flags (which usually causes them to dramatically flap in the wind).

I believe the 21 gun salute (7 honor guard with rifles firing 3 volleys) then fires the salute ..but I can't remember if it's before or after TAPS.

When the bearers have laid the coffin on the grave (or sometimes within a gazebo of sorts) at this point TAPS is played - or the bagpipes play "Amazing Grace" ...either or - or one after the other, but at some point TAPS is always played.

Then their is an optional FLY-OVER usually by some form of air-wing ... usually the helicopter division of the department, other departments or something similar, in missing man formation - or in formation where one chopper breaks formation and goes in a different direction.

After this (or at the end of TAPS) ...the order is given to end the salute.

"ORDER ARMS!!!".

The flag draping the casket is then folded by the honor guard and presented to the next of kin.

After this the order is given for dismissal.

"DEEETAILLLLL ... DISSSS-MISSED!".

Again the number of officers (usually in dress-blues - or class-A of whatever the department issues of the jurisdiction) is in the hundreds to sometimes thousands. Firemen usually line the procession route with their engines running their rollers, standing at attention in front of the firehouses, etc. ..in the cemetary usually mounted officers are lining the route on their steeds ... just about every type of police vehicle is along the route somewhere.

Goodness, that's all I can think of right now... I'll add more later. Hope this helps.

-Mental

[Nickdabrick]

Recently, a couple of state police officers were killed in a helicopter crash, and one of them was from my little corner of nowhere. At the funeral, the police did a little ceremony known as "last call," broadcast over the cop car PA systems at the cemetary. It went something like this:

"Officer 85, come in."

"Officer 85, please respond."

"All units: Officer 85 is down."

And that was it.

My God, it was powerful. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it -- and I didn't even know the guy.