NCJ Number
98139
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 54 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1985) Pages: 12-16
Date Published
1985
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Guidelines are presented for public safety agencies to follow in providing psychological, social, and technical support to the surviving family members of employees who are killed or seriously injured.
Abstract
Public safety organizations have the moral and ethical responsibility to provide this support. Preparation and preplanning are the crucial ingredients to providing a successful employee survivor support operation. The agency must have accurate, current information regarding the spouse's employment, the children's schools, and other areas. The family support procedure should be overseen by the highest ranking on-duty officer not primarily involved in the handling or investigation of the incident. Notification of family members should be handled by two or three persons and should take place in an effective, caring, and speedy manner. Immediate support should cover transportation needs, child-care needs, prepared meals, liaison between the public and the media, protection from burglary, funeral arrangements, and keeping the family informed. Long-term support needs include attention to legal issues like survivor benefits; psychological counseling; career counseling; financial counseling; and, in the case of officers surviving an encounter with death, posttraumatic incident counseling. Details on each step of the support procedure are given.