Why do law enforcement officers get off work to attend funerals of other police officers?
I know if someone dies in my profession I do not get time off to attend the funeral. Why should the police be treated any differently. With most of the country's police force in Pittsburgh today it would seem that lawlessness would be on the increase because the police are off duty for the day.
Law Enforcement & Police - 11 Answers
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1 :
because im sure at your job your not putting your life on the line everyday. That's why YOU don't get to take off work. When an agency loses one of there officers...that's a BIG deal because they were doing it for the safety of others. Its out of respect dude.
2 :
Police officers are a brotherhood and the death of one officer affects the entire force. Not every police officer is at the funeral, obviously that wouldn't make sense.
3 :
you can't get off work for a funeral? Man, that sucks. Every single job I ever had would let me not come to work for a funeral....and weddings and doctors appointments, etc......
4 :
Ok first of all, they are not off. They are one way or another standing in as a police officer in full uniform representing their dept. So they are not off as you say. And most of the time the officer attends while he is on duty, or on his day off. Secondly, there are enough cops on duty to cover the streets.
5 :
I assure you, all of them don't want to be there...
6 :
There are tens of thousands of Law Enforcement Officers in the country. The vast majority of us are not attending any funerals of our brother and sister Law Officers today. In fact some of us were already scheduled to be off and can do whatever we want on our off days. A small percentage of us are granted leave to do things, like attending funerals on a first come first serve basis. The agency comes first over leave requests. If the Captain decides he/she can't allow you off in order to maintain patrol coverage then they won't grant the leave request. The number of us that actually took off today to go to a funeral is a small percentage compared to the number of us that are working. Back in 2001 a High Point (NC) Officer was killed in a car crash. Greensboro Police actually volunteered to come and work the streets of High Point NC on their off day so every High Point Officer could attend the funeral that wanted to. Police Officers look at one another as a type of extended family that is why we go to funerals of strangers and mourn the loss of people we have never met as if they were good friends.
7 :
The question has been answered very well by previous posters. I want to take a moment to just say how sad I feel whenever I read a post like this. This sadness will last less than a few minutes however because I then realize there are many more people that "get" it.. that understand the sacrifices officers give to help keep even the poster of this question safe. And when an officer loses his or her life doing the job they were hired to do, they deserve respect, not some moron asking why other officers get off work to attend their funeral.
8 :
They should be treated different, because their job is different. They go to work everyday, not knowing if they will come home or not. As far as the part about lawlessness, I know that in my community when an officer is killed, officers and dispatchers from meighboring cities come and work for them.
9 :
Do you get time off if a family member dies? That's what a fallen officer is to other officers. A family member. Chances are if they take off for the funeral, their shift has been covered by someone else. It's called respect.
10 :
Number one most of the countries police force was not in Pittsburgh. it looks like a lot but like any civilian estimating blood loss it is not a lot. Officers from out side units come in on their own time to help the locals with policing. In most places officers are allowed to earn compensatory time instead of pay for overtime work. That is when they are overtime at work or in court they get a promise that they can take that time off later. Officers who are scheduled to be on duty and need to attend a funeral can take that compensatory time off as long as they find a volunteer to fill there need for working police. In situations like Pittsburgh there are plenty of sworn outside officers who volunteer so that their comrades can attend. I do not know what your profession is but I am sorry that your people have not had the intelligence over the years worked out a system allowing you to grieve and show respect. Or perhaps your profession does not see their people killed on a regular basis.
11 :
The USA is becoming a police state. In a police state, only the police are free.
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