Although the board attorney suggested looking into developing an ordinance, two aldermen said a police escort is the least the city can do for families during a funeral processional.
The subject of providing police escort, free of charge, to lead funeral processionals within the city of Yazoo City returned to the table during the recent Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting. The subject was one of high debate among the city’s previous administration in 2017.
“This is something that we need to do,” said Alderwoman Elizabeth Thomas. “We don’t do anything else. Our taxes went up this year. Every piece of property, I own the taxes went up. Why is it fair that the citizens, regardless if they are rich poor, black, white, green, purple, cannot receive a funeral escort?”
Police Chief Ron Sampson said he does not oppose funeral escorts, but there are a number of factors one has to consider if the police department is directed to do so. First, he asked if liability falls upon the city, the police department or the funeral home providing the service to the family. He also added that there is training and instructions that must be passed onto the officers.
Sampson said another key factor is availability with manpower. For example, what happens if an officer must respond to a call during the funeral procession?
“We do not mind at all, but what if we have a busy day, and we have not been contacted to attend the funeral,” Sampson said. “It is often impossible for us to provide that service to the family if we only have short notice. The planning aspect is the most crucial of this.”
Mayor Diane Delaware agreed with Sampson that proper planning is crucial when it comes to providing funeral escorts. She said she was personally at a recent funeral when a request for a police escort came at that time, not before the funeral.
“At the end of the funeral, they wanted to take the body through the city,” she said. “We have to assure that we have some requirements. We think it is always the police who fail to show up because we always blame the police. But we understand our city, we know our city. We know the time between death and the funeral is probably a week. In that span of time, someone has to notify the police.”
Delaware also said there have been days when there have been five funerals held at the same time. She said it would be impossible to pull enough police officers, considering there are only four police cars on the street at one time.
Lilli Evans-Bass, board attorney, said the city should have a written ordinance with set policies and procedures with how citizens request a police escort.
“The city can also not endanger the health, welfare and safety of its citizens by pulling every on-duty officer to funerals when they can’t respond to calls or emergency situation of citizens,” Evans-Bass said. “There is also a great risk of endangering citizens from accidents. It may not be on the front page of every newspaper, but you can Google it. Dozens and dozens of times there are people who have been killed colliding with officers or people in the procession during funerals.”
Evans-Bass said there are a number of technical issues from liability to training to procedures to ensure that citizens are safe.
“It is just not an overnight process,” she said.
“Ready, fire, aim is a dangerous thing; ready, aim fire,” Delaware added.
Alderman Sir Johnathan Rucker said he believes in the fair treatment of all.
“I have been to a whole lot of funeral services recently, and I myself have called for an escort and an escort did not come,” he said. “One family received four police cars to escort a funeral whereas one family didn’t receive any. I reached out to funeral homes and was told they could not have escort services. I don’t think all these people are going to lie. I just want everyone in this city…black, white, Hispanic, Republican, Democrat, Independent…I want everyone to receive the fair treatment of all.”
Rucker also said he has never heard of any accidents occurring during a funeral processional.
“I hear all the language, but I am going to be honest, it sounds like a lot of bluff to me,” he said. “I understand we have calls. But how can we do it for one family and not do it for another?”
Thomas said that she knows this problem did not occur before two years ago.
“I know two years ago, it was brought up about charging for funeral escorts, and they said the funeral homes were charging but they never could say what funeral home was charging,” she said. “This is last courtesy that we can show a family. The word got into the streets that on Aug. 25…there was a large funeral at Old King Solomon. They called the city police department for an escort, and they were told they no longer provide escorts. I go to funerals all the time, and I know for a fact that we do not provide escorts for our citizens.”
The city’s previous administration discussed this same subject in 2017. The city council, at that time, was considering whether police escorts for funeral processions should remain a free service or if local funeral homes should compensate officers for their time.
Former Ward 2 Alderman Dr. Jack Varner said he strongly believed that police funeral escorts should remain a free service.
“We charge people to pick up sticks, to pick up garbage, to do this and do that,” Varner said, in 2017. “Surely to God we can pay for the police officers to go out there and escort them to the graveside. It’s absolutely ridiculous that we’d even think about charging.”
There is no city ordinance in the books that address police escorts for funeral processionals.
“It is not like you have to go all over the world with it,” Thomas said. “This is not Jackson. This is Yazoo City. The speed limit 25 mph, 30mph through town. They are not running down the streets. And I don’t even recall an accident with a funeral escort.”
