By james art 
Lubbock, Texas (KCBD) – Lubbock Police Department says it has outgrowed one of its policies, making a change to keep more officers on the street. The agency is now charging a fee for the provision of employees outside the duty for funeral companions.
After a change made last week, the department now charges $ 65 per hour, to an officer outside the duty, with a minimum of two hours to provide funeral escorts. Historically, the LPD provided these companions for free by using duty staff.
“As a department, we have to think about serving the streets, how we serve the city,” said Lieutenant Brady Cross. “Both years and years and years, we have taken employees from their normal patrol, whether it is about applying trafficking or rhythm driving and we have taken them off this obligation to put them on a funeral escort.”
In the first two months of 2024, a handful of officers were withdrawn from their other duties for funeral escort, on average, almost twice a day, 56 times in January and 52 times in February. This January, the number of funeral companions has increased to 74.
Lieutenant Cross says the department has never charged a fee directly to a funeral home or family for a companion. In the study of this policy, the Lubbock police station found that it was one of the latter in the state that provides this free service.
To keep more street employees, Cross says the department changed this policy last Monday, after months of research, preparation and discussion with funeral homes.
“So, instead of removing employees from our normal obligation, we allow him as an extraordinary time. They register for these companions. The funeral home presents the work in our department and we had great success in the officers who register for it, “said Lieutenant Cross.
According to the new policy, funeral homes submit work at least 24 hours in advance, and then employees use an application to register to work. Lieutenant Cross says the goal is three officers to work every escort.
Employees in the chapel of Lake Ridge and Memorial designers say the new policy will help to ensure that families who want a police companion will have one.
“I understand that the monetary value of it will lead to a shock absorber of some of the things you know about funerals are already expensive enough to add those to it. But, I think, in the end, people will realize the value in the guarantee of the companions, “said the funeral director Randy Allen.
Christina Wakefield, manager of the administrative office in Lake Ridge, says time and emergency calls have pulled off the officers of the companions in the past.
“Now we even have information about employees contact, so we know which employees will be at the services. I even get an email whenever they get involved in the service. So, it’s pretty cool, because before that he didn’t know who would appear. And since it was free, you didn’t know if they would show up, “she said.
Cross says that even if the department cannot receive enough employees to register, and if the staff allows, it will take away an employee from their daily duties to fill in the gaps.
“We still want to get the officers to do this. We understand the meaning of this. This is a family at their worst time and we want a procession to go as smoothly as it can, “said Lieutenant Cross.
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