Police Escort funeral procession?

[vengie]

Just saw a funeral procession going south down 14th st NW with no less than 20 cop cars stopping traffic... Anyone know who this funeral was for?? Pretty crazy to see.

[hustler]

saw this through downtown on 12th avenue as well, at least I have a pretty good idea for what all the under cover cars/trucks look like now

[Royle9]

A fellow officer perhaps? Saw something similar a few weeks back out near bragg creek which was odd.

[supe]

No they do this for anyone for a fee.

I was in a funeral last summer with at least 20 cop cars/motorcycles. I felt like a VIP but then kept realizing I'm taking part in a funeral.

[DEATH2000]

Under the TSA anyone in a funeral procession is allowed to run stop signs and red lights to stay with the procession. However this is pretty dangerous in your own car so I can see why the police would do this. But I can't imagine the fee. 20 cop cars at $90/he would be insane. I say $90 cause that's how much a mall was getting billed per hour for pay duty officers.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by DEATH2000
Under the TSA anyone in a funeral procession is allowed to run stop signs and red lights to stay with the procession. However this is pretty dangerous in your own car so I can see why the police would do this. But I can't imagine the fee. 20 cop cars at $90/he would be insane. I say $90 cause that's how much a mall was getting billed per hour for pay duty officers.

Yup. I can't speak for the procedure or costs involved to have a police escort, but under the TSA, and I don't know if this applies to all vehicles, but I know at the very least, the lead car is allowed to have a lightbar or other form of flashing lights as long as they are purple.

I saw a funeral procession pass me a few years ago, and if I remember correctly, the lead car had the lights, and the other cars just stayed close. All black Town Cars and what not. I remember seeing a fancy purple LED lightbar on the lead car.

[bignerd]

The other cars usually have a paper in the window that says FUNERAL or something.... still like someone said, not the most obvious if you are driving a domestic personal car.

[spikerS]

A funeral procession is one of the scariest things I have ever been involved in as a driver.

When my father passed, I was driving the car directly behind the hearse, and can't tell you how many times I was cut off, turned in front of, honked at, and given the finger in the few blocks we drove.

I think there needs to be a bit more driver training on the whole funeral procession thing, or a mandatory police escort or something similar provided by the funeral home as a mandatory part of the funeral, or do away with them all together. Being a vehicle mid pack of the procession and running a red light is just plain dumb.

Heck, even giving all vehicles in the procession a rotating purple beacon that plugs into a 12v outlet, and mounts on the roof with suction would be a great start just to identify everything as a procession.

Every procession I have been involved in includes scary encounters on the drive to the burial site, retold at the wake or reception after...

[lilmira]

Just curious, what's the need for a motorcade? It's not like the cemetery is hard to find. Unless the deceased is somewhat important to the public, there is not gonna be anyone paying tribute on the street.

People have problems noticing flashing lights and siren already, I wouldn't put much faith in them to notice those little stickers.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by spikers
Heck, even giving all vehicles in the procession a rotating purple beacon that plugs into a 12v outlet, and mounts on the roof with suction would be a great start just to identify everything as a procession.

Every procession I have been involved in includes scary encounters on the drive to the burial site, retold at the wake or reception after...

So I remembered correctly then...only the lead car is has the purple lights. I was wondering what its like driving in the middle of the pack though. Drivers in Calgary are too stupid to hear or see a police cruiser with the siren going in their mirror, so nobody would know a funeral procession even if they had been in one before.

This has nothing to do with a funeral procession, but its a stupid driver story, so here goes. Couple months ago, I'm driving down Glenmore in rush hour, and I see this ambulance coming up behind. Lights and sirens going, and he's coming up fast. Once he gets to within a few cars, I signal and start to pull over. The moron in the truck behind me starts honking at me, just as the ambulance passes, at which point he shuts up. Made me wish I had one of those scrolling LED signs on my back window. "Didn't see him coming, did you, jackass?"

[dirtsniffer]

a senior officers wife was buried last weekend.

[botox]

Originally posted by spikers
A funeral procession is one of the scariest things I have ever been involved in as a driver.

When my father passed, I was driving the car directly behind the hearse, and can't tell you how many times I was cut off, turned in front of, honked at, and given the finger in the few blocks we drove.

I think there needs to be a bit more driver training on the whole funeral procession thing, or a mandatory police escort or something similar provided by the funeral home as a mandatory part of the funeral, or do away with them all together. Being a vehicle mid pack of the procession and running a red light is just plain dumb.

Heck, even giving all vehicles in the procession a rotating purple beacon that plugs into a 12v outlet, and mounts on the roof with suction would be a great start just to identify everything as a procession.

Every procession I have been involved in includes scary encounters on the drive to the burial site, retold at the wake or reception after...

I saw this one rather large procession on Memorial drive and the cars were not following close enough so some of the further back cars were going in and out of the line to try to catch up and get back in line and some cars even stopped at the red light cause they were so far back you couldn't even tell they were part of the procession and they all had stickers. Very dangerous if you ask me. Police escort should be mandatory.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by DEATH2000
Under the TSA anyone in a funeral procession is allowed to run stop signs and red lights to stay with the procession. However this is pretty dangerous in your own car so I can see why the police would do this. But I can't imagine the fee. 20 cop cars at $90/he would be insane. I say $90 cause that's how much a mall was getting billed per hour for pay duty officers.

found this on a funeral home website...

With regards to police escorts, some cities, such as Stratford, for example, will send one police car to lead the procession. Presently the Stratford police will do this free of charge, but only if there is an officer available. Hired police escorts are more common in big cities. When I left Toronto in 2003, the going rate for a police escort was approximately $900. This price included three off-duty police officers, three vehicles (which were usually motorcycles) and applicable tax.

[spikerS]

found this in the highway traffic act as well.

Vehicles in funeral processions

117(4) The driver of a motor vehicle in a funeral procession shall, in so far as practicable, drive his vehicle on the extreme right-hand side of the roadway.

Funeral processions

117(5) Notwithstanding anything in this Part, the council of a municipality may, by by-law, provide that, in the case of a funeral procession indicated as such by the headlamps of all the motor vehicles therein being lighted, or in such other manner as may be prescribed in the by-law,

(a) if the driver of the leading vehicle therein has complied with sections 85 and 88, the driver of each of the other vehicles therein, upon approaching

(i) a traffic control signal showing a red traffic control light or a "stop" or "arrêt" signal, or

(ii) a "stop" or "arrêt" sign,

shall cause the vehicle to slow down or stop as may be necessary for safety, but may then proceed cautiously past the traffic control signal or "stop" or "arrêt" sign; and

(b) after passing the traffic control signal or "stop" or "arrêt" sign, the driver of each of the other vehicles in the procession shall have the right-of-way over all other vehicles upon the highway at the intersection or place where the signal or sign is situated.

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