(Danville, Va.) – A service that the Danville Police Department has provided for decades may be coming to an end.
Police Chief Philip Broadfoot has proposed that the department end the practice of providing police escorts at local funerals. He says it is an issue of manpower and money. The department is short on officers and those used in the funeral processions are needed on the streets. The Danville Police Department is currently short 17 officers.
But funeral home directors in the city say the police escort is a sign of respect and the officers provide an added degree of safety. Without the escort, the processions would likely end and mourners would just meet at the gravesite.
City Council took no action on the request following Tuesday night’s presentation and postponed a proposed Aug. 1 start date for additional discussion of the issue.