Policy Text
KISSIMMEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
General Order 114 – Line of Duty Injuries and Death
Page 1 of 4 TITLE: LINE OF DUTY INJURIES AND DEATH 114
EFFECTIVE: 07/01/2025 REVISED: 09/12/2025 SCOPE : ALL EMPLOYEES
REVIEW AUTHORITY: OPERATIONS BUREAU DEPUTY CHIEF
CFA STANDARDS: N/A
114.01 Department Notification 114.04 Family Liaison Officer’s
114.02 Division Captain 114.05 Flags
114.03 Notification Officer’s 114.06 Badges
Policy: It is the policy of the Department to utilize all appropriate and available resources to
provide compassionate assistance to the immediate family of an active Department employee who
has died or been seriously injured in order to show them the respect they deserve.
114.01 Department Notification: Regardless of who receives the initial notification of the death,
the following procedures shall be in effect. The person receiving the informatio n shall notify the
Chief of Police via chain of command.
Officers and dispatchers should be aware that in the event of an on -duty death or injury, the
external monitoring of the police frequency shall be extensive, particularly by the news media.
Commu nications regarding notifications should be restricted to the telephone whenever possible.
The name of the injured or deceased employee shall never be released to the media before the
family of the employee is notified. If the media already has the employe e’s name, they should
respond to a request to withhold this information pending family notification.
114.02 Division Captain: The Watch Commander shall see to it that the appropriate Division
Commander is notified when a severe injury or death occurs. If an active employee is involved,
the Division Captain is responsible for coordinating the arrival of the family, police officers,
media, and others. The deceased employee’s Division Captain will be responsible for the following
duties:
a. Respond to the hosp ital upon notification;
b. Establish a Hospital Command Post to act as a single authoritative voice for all direction
and information concerning the incident;
c. Coordinate the arrival of immediate survivors , police officers, media, and others. The
responsibilities include:
1. Provide transportation of the survivors to the hospital, if possible;
KISSIMMEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
General Order 114 – Line of Duty Injuries and Death
Page 2 of 4
2. Arrange with hospital personnel for appropriate waiting facilities. Segregated areas
should be reserved for:
i. Family, Chief of Police, Notification Officer, and others requested by the
family;
ii. A separate area for officers and friends; and
iii. A media stagi ng area.
d. Appoint a Notification Officer;
e. Appoint a Family Liaison Officer;
f. Notify the Department Chaplain;
g. Notify the Critical Incident Stress Management Team Coordinator;
h. Notify Public Information Officer; and
i. Ensure the appropriate referrals are made, within twenty -four ( 24) hours, to the Employee
Assistance Program or the Critical Incident Stress Management Team as required.
114.03 Notification Officer: The Notification Officer is responsible for the notific ation of the
deceased employee’s family. The Notification Officer may be appointed by a Deputy Chief or be
predesignated by the injured/deceased employee. If distance or circumstances make an in -person
notification by Kissimmee Police Department personnel impractical, the Notification Officer shall
contact the appropriate law enforcement agency and request that they make an in -person
notification.
Any notification of family should be made via a personal contact. The Notification Officer is
responsible for obtaining the family information.
114.04 Family Liaison Officer: The Family Liaison Officer shall serve as a facilitator between
the family and the Department. The Family Liaison Officer shall confirm the needs of the
immediate family are addressed. The Family Liaison Officer’s responsibilities include , but are not
limited to , the following :
a. Provide assistance with travel and lodging arrangements for out -of-town family members;
b. Identify churches and reception halls that shall accommodate a law enforcem ent funeral;
c. Coordinate all law enforcement notifications and arrangements to include the honor guard,
pallbearers, and traffic control;
KISSIMMEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
General Order 114 – Line of Duty Injuries and Death
Page 3 of 4 d. Serve as a liaison with visiting law enforcement agencies as needed;
e. Assign the Public Information Officer (PIO) to assist the family members in dealing with
the media; and
f. Confirm that security checks of the immediate family’s residence are initiated immediately
following the incident and continue for as long as necessary thereafter.
The Family Liaison Officer shall act as a facilitator between the employee’s family, the funeral
director, and the Department during the wake and funeral. The responsibilities include:
a. Meeting with the family members and explaining his responsibilities;
b. Being available to the family prior to and throughout the wake and funeral;
c. Ensuring the needs and requests of the family are considered;
d. Assisting the family in working with the funeral director;
e. Addressing any special needs of the family during the funeral;
f. Briefing the family members on the procedures involved in a law enforcement funeral;
g. Coordinating the funeral services and procession;
h. Presenting information on all available benefits to the family;
i. Documenting inquiries and interest in public donations to the family and establishing a
mechanism for receipt of such contributions