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Home My WebLink About2.b. Funeral Escorts EXECUTIVE SUMMARY City Council Work Session: March 6, 2018 AGENDA ITEM: Funeral Escorts AGENDA SECTION: Discussion PREPARED BY: Mitchell Scott, Chief of Police AGENDA NO. 2.b. ATTACHMENTS: None APPROVED BY: LJM RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discuss the discontinuing of funeral escorts. BACKGROUND Funeral escorts have been a concern of staff for some time. When staff contemplated the decision to no longer conduct funeral escorts, staff looked at the totality of the issue. There are several factors that were considered when the decision was made to discontinue escorts; the primary factor is risk management and liability to the City. Although funeral escorts can be short in duration, they do take some time and several officers to operate safely. With the majority of the time having only two officers on, it becomes difficult to manage. This is especially difficult as with the last two requests being received shortly before the requested escort. Another concern is ensuring that this service is offered equitably to all houses of worship in Rosemount. Because this issue is taxing on our sworn officers, staff did consider utilizing a Reserve Officer or Community Service Officer to conduct the escorts. Unfortunately, our Community Service Officers are college students and they are not working every day. Reserve Officers are volunteered positions and most of our Reserves have full time jobs and work during the day. The events we utilize our Reserve Officers are planned days or weeks in advance, making it easier to schedule them. To conduct an escort safely, you would need a minimum of two vehicles to control the traffic on Highway 3. The funeral homes do have an option to hire a professional funeral escort service for a fee, which staff anticipates would be passed on to the family. Alternatively, staff is willing to discuss assisting a procession as it crosses Hwy 3 by utilizing the in-squad signal light controlling technology to allow the procession to move efficiently. Funeral homes would be informed that this service is only available as staffing levels permit, and we would request 24 hours advance notice of the request. RECOMMENDATION Staff requests the Council discuss the issue and provide direction.