Policy Text
Page 1 of 4 11/09 (REV 1/89)
Employee Death
The purpose of this Order is to o utline procedures to be follow ed in the event of the
death of an employee. I. Employee’s Division Commander
A. Upon learning of the death o f an employee, the employee’s d ivision
commander shall: 1. Immediately confirm that notifications as required per Gen eral
O r d e r 7 / 0 4 a r e i n i t i a t e d . 2. Form an immediate family deat h notification team of not mo re than
t h r e e p e r s o n s w h o , a s a t e a m , s h a l l a t t e m p t t o m a k e p e r s onal
c o n t a c t w i t h t h e d e c e a s e d ’ s i m m e d i a t e f a m i l y . I t i s s uggested that
t h e t e a m b e c o m p o s e d o f : a . T h e h i g h e s t r a n k i n g S h e r i f f ’ s D epartment employee
a v a i l a b l e . b . A S h e r i f f ’ s D epartment employee who maintained a close
r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e d e c e a s e d . c . T h e departmental chaplain.
B. The employee’s division co mmander shall make himself / hers elf available
to the deceased’s family to assist the family in making funer al arrange-
ments, and shall be responsible for coordinating the uniforme d officer
formation (if the deceased’s family wishes a formation). II. Employee Relations Officer
The Employee Relations Officer shall be immediately available to assist
employees, or their beneficia ries, in initiating, changing, or claiming the proceeds
from the various employee benef its programs. The following ar e the
responsibilities of the Employ ee Relations Officer upon the de ath of an
employee. A. Sheriff’s Honor Guard
Page 2 of 4 11/09 (REV 1/89) Officers killed in the line of duty may, at family request, b e provided honor
guards at the casket prior to and during the ceremony. The E mployee
Relations Officer shall contact the family to ascertain their desire, then
shall arrange for the honor guard if requested.
B. Allied Agency Notification Officers killed in the line of duty generally w ill be provide d a full
participation funeral by all av ailable personnel if desired b y the family.
Once the time, place and date of the funeral have been establ ished, the
Employee Relations Officer shall send a teletype providing th e information
to allied agencies. C. Insurance Proceeds The Employee Relations Office r shall assist the deceased’s fa mily in
contacting the following agencies to determine possible insur ance
proceeds: 1. Sheriff’s Personnel Section 2. Sacramento County Employees’ Credit Union 3. Sacramento County Deputy S heriffs’ Association, or appropr iate
e m p l o y e e a s s o c i a t i o n
4. Employee Insurance – Personnel Management
5. Sacramento County Safe ty Office, if applicable
6. Veterans’ Service Office, if applicable 7. Social Security Administration 8. Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System 9. Sacramento County Treasurer /Tax Collector (Deferred
C o m pensation Funds)
D. Death Certificates The funeral director can obt ain, upon request, certified deat h certificates.
A minimum of six (6) certifica tes should be ordered in antici pation of the
various claims by beneficiaries. E. Federal Cash Award
Page 3 of 4 11/09 (REV 1/89) In the event an officer is kill ed in the line of duty, proof of eligibility must be
established according to Feder al regulations. The Employee R elations
Officer shall gather and process the following forms: 1, Complete, certified copy o f the Investigative Report
2. Certified copy of the Autopsy Report 3. Certified copy of the Toxicology Report 4. Death Certificate, signed and certified 5. Certified copy of Marriage Ce rtificate(s) and Divorce Decr ee(s) of
s pouse(s) and decedent, if applicable
6. Certified copy of Birth Cer tificate(s) of all living child ren
7. Necessary Federal application forms may be obtained from t he
U . S . D epartment of Justice, Law E nforcement Assistance
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , P u b l i c S a f e t y O f f i c e r s B enefit Program,
W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . 20531
F. Verhoeven Fund / Widows and Orphans The Employee Relations Officer shall contact a representative from the
Verhoeven Fund as soon as possibl e.