STATIC DISPLAYS

At my first fire department line-of-duty death funeral I assisted with I was impressed with their time honored traditions and their static displays. I remembered this when I returned to my agency and realized that there would be opportunities for my agency to have static displays also. Why not? My experience has been that static displays are not routinely considered for police funerals.

Although they may not be the norm in many areas, static displays can be beneficial and appropriate, especially when the deceased officer was a member of a specialized unit, I. E., motors, SWAT, bomb squad, helicopters.

When I managed my first motor officer line-of-duty funeral I was overwhelmed at the special brotherhood that motor officers belong to. I had managed a few funerals and thought I knew what to expect, but the number of motors that arrived was a sight to behold, hundreds and hundreds of motors. They were parked four abreast for as far as I could see. Some had traveled over 400 miles to attend. That’s when I learned to not merely park these motors but display them.

That’s when my motor sergeant traffic coordinator taught me how to have a motor static display at the entrance to the church. A motor with the helmet placed on the handle bars like motor officers place them, a pair of gloves placed on the gas tank, a ticket book placed on the seat, and a single boot facing backwards.

Then there was the time a SWAT officer died and another opportunity for a static display. Again, SWAT officers attended from all over the country. The officer’s SWAT car was parked at the entrance to the church for everyone entering to view and all the equipment he typically carried was displayed.

Then there was the helicopter crash that killed the crew. We placed a row of several helicopters at the entrance to the auditorium where the services were held. Thousands of attendees passed by them as they entered as  a poignant reminder to what had happened and who was involved. At the end of the services we sat in silence and listened as they warmed up their engines and took off to prepare for the interment fly-over ceremonies.

Many agencies place the deceased officer’s patrol car or a patrol car in front of the station with black bunting draping the car. This is a type of static display.

Police funeral coordinators should be aware of the potential opportunities to create an appropriate static display. Regardless of the cause of death or the officer’s assignment, there may be an appropriate opportunity to provide one at the station, the funeral service site and the interment location. Static displays are a tradition we should promote whenever possible.

John Cooley

Policefunerals.com