Policy Text
\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nSEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NUMBER:
G - 39
GENERAL ORDER
RESCINDS:
SUBJECT: Line of Duty Death or Serious Injury
EFFECTIVE: November 14, 1994
REVISED: September 16, 2022
Table of Contents:
I. Purpose
II. Scope
III. Definition
IV. Notification of the Immediate Family
V. Blue Alert Notification System
VI. Additional Notifications
VII. Notification to the News Media
VIII. Assisting Family Members at the Hospital
IX. Support to the Family
X. Funeral Details
XI. Sheriff’s Office Support During the Trial
I. PURPOSE:
This directive provides procedures to be followed in the event an employee has suffered a serious, life threatening
injury or has died in the line of duty. Nothing in this directive shall restrict the Sheriff from extending agency
services to the family of any employee who has died of non-duty causes.
II. SCOPE:
It is Sheriff’s Office policy to provide assistance to the immediate family of a severely injured or deceased
employee.
III. DEFINITIONS:
A. Line of Duty Death:
Death resulting from felonious or accidental circumstances while an employee is on duty or acting within
the scope of their employment.
B. Ranking Supervisor (Present at the Scene):
The term “Ranking Supervisor” is defined as the on-scene supervisor where an employee has been
seriously injured or killed.
C. Notification Officer:
The employee chosen to notify the family.
GENERAL ORDER
Line of Duty Death or Serious Injury
GO # 39 PAGE 1 OF 6\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nD. Immediate Family:
The order of notification (priority) is: the employee's spouse, children, parents and siblings.
E. Family Liaison Coordinator:
An employee, preferably a friend of the family, who is designated by the Sheriff to coordinate agency
assistance with the injured/deceased employee's immediate family.
F. Honor Guard:
The Honor Guard directs the funeral services.
G. Family Support Advocate:
A Victim Advocate or other designated employee(s) assigned to coordinate long-term liaison between the
family and the Sheriff's Office.
IV. NOTIFICATION OF THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY:
A. If an employee has sustained a life-threatening injury or been killed, the employee's family will be notified
as soon as possible. To ensure notification is provided in a respective and timely manner, employees are
directed to ensure immediate family member contact information is updated and remains current.
B. Timeliness of family notification is essential. It is imperative that the immediate family is notified before
learning about it from outside sources, such as the media. It is accepted that the media will be on the scene
quickly, occupying both ground and aerial observation posts. Knowledge of this should reinforce the
necessity of timely notification.
C. It is incumbent upon the Ranking Supervisor to ensure that notification is made to Sheriff’s Office
command staff as soon as possible. Timeliness of this notification may take precedence over chain of
command protocol. The Sheriff, his designee, or other ranking command officer will direct that family
notification be made.
D. A Notification Officer will be selected to notify the family, which should be a supervisor, if possible. The
Notification Officer should be accompanied (on the notification) by a Victim Advocate and/or by an
employee who is a friend of the family.
E. Method and Expectations of Notification:
1. Admittance to the residence should be requested before making the notification.
2. Notification should be made slowly in clear, definitive words. If the employee has died, that
information will be clearly stated.
3. Any number of reactions from family members including hysteria, anger, fainting, physical
violence, or shock should be expected.
F. In the event an employee is seriously injured or has died every effort should be made to provide
transportation for the family to the hospital should they so desire.
G. Employees are authorized to transport family members to the hospital. Should family members insist on
driving themselves to the hospital, an employee should accompany them in their vehicle.
H. An offer to notify other family members will be made. If the family desires to make their own
notifications, employees will not interfere.
GENERAL ORDER
Line of Duty Death or Serious Injury
GO # 39 PAGE 2 OF 8\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nI. If the family requests the Sheriff's Office to make notifications of other family members, the Notification
Officer shall obtain the names and addresses of relatives to contact.
J. The family will be advised by the Notification Officer that the Sheriff's Office's Chaplain Corps is
available. Should the family ask for a Chaplain, the Notification Officer will have Communications
contact a Corps member (preferably a Chaplain of the family's religious faith).
K. If family members live in surrounding counties, notification should be made in person by Seminole County
Sheriff’s Office employees.
L. For notifications outside of the immediate county area, notifications should be made by the local law
enforcement agency in that area.
1. The Notification Officer shall telephonically relay the names of family members living in the area
that have already been notified.
2. Communications Specialists will contact the appropriate law enforcement agency requesting a
personal death notification. The telephone number of the Notification Officer will be provided.
A request for notification confirmation will be made.
3. The Notification Officer may personally elect to contact the law enforcement agency by
telephone.
4. The Notification Officer should maintain a written log of who was notified and when notification
was made.
V. BLUE ALERT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM:
The Florida Blue Alert System is a plan to ensure that information will be broadcasted through dynamic highway
signs and other methods to increase the chances of capturing suspect(s) responsible for injuring or killing a law
enforcement officer. The Florida Blue Alert Program is a cooperative effort by the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement (FDLE), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), The Florida Highway Safety and Motor
Vehicles (FLDHSMV), and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
A. Activation Criteria:
In accordance with F.S.S. 784.07, the following criteria must be met to activate a Florida Blue Alert:
1. A law enforcement officer:
a. Has been killed
b. Has suffered serious bodily injury; or
c. Has been assaulted with a deadly weapon; or
d. Is missing while in the line of duty under circumstances evidencing concern for the
officer’s safety;
2. The suspect has fled the scene of the offense;
3. The agency investigating the offense determines that the suspect poses an imminent threat to
the public or to other law enforcement officers;
4. A detailed description of the suspect’s vehicle, or other means of escape, or the license plate of
the suspect’s vehicle is available for broadcasting. (Note: to activate FDOT’s message signs,
vehicle descriptive information and a full or partial tag number must be available).
GENERAL ORDER
Line of Duty Death or Serious Injury
GO # 39 PAGE 3 OF 8\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\n5. Dissemination of available information to the public may help avert further harm or assist in the
apprehension of the suspect; and
6. If the law enforcement officer is missing, there is sufficient information relating to the officer’s
last known location, physical description, and the description of any vehicle involved, including
the license plate number or other identifying information, to be broadcast to the public and other
law enforcement agencies, which would assist in locating the missing officer;
7. The local law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend issuing the Blue Alert.
B. Procedures to Activate the Florida Blue Alert Notification:
1. The communications supervisor, while keeping the ranking supervisor on the line, shall call
FDLE’s Florida Fusion Center (FFC) desk at 850-410-7645. This phone line is available twenty-
four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a