Posted on 12/29/2010 8:50:55 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
McALLEN — Hidalgo County should ban funeral processions, county District Attorney Rene Guerra said Thursday.
A fatal crash during a funeral procession Wednesday has led to questions about the safety of the motorcades, where law enforcement officers guide traffic by blocking intersections. A Hidalgo County Precinct 2 constable’s deputy hit and killed an Alamo woman Wednesday when the deputy’s cruiser “t-boned” the vehicle she was traveling in.
Guerra said he’s been concerned about funeral processions for years now, but Wednesday’s crash has revived the debate and sharpened his concerns.
“I was afraid that what happened yesterday would happen,” he said.
Escorting funeral processions has become increasingly dangerous because there are many careless drivers who disregard the escorts, Guerra said. Processions also require a lot of man power and it’s unclear where the acquired funds should go, he added.
“One of the questions raised earlier was if the constables could keep the money or if they should turn it over to the county, especially when county officials are involved,” he said about the fees funeral homes pay the constables. There is also a debate about whether the money should be considered a donation or a payment, he added.
“It’s a situation that creates a problem for everybody involved in a funeral procession,” Guerra said. “I think that if funeral homes would calculate how much time it takes individuals to get out to the cemeteries after the services, people would be easily buried and everybody would have a chance to attend the funeral (without a procession).”
But the processions he would like to see banned are deeply embedded in the Rio Grande Valley’s culture, said Marc Gonzalez, funeral director for Rivera Funeral Home in McAllen.
“A lot of people are used to following the hearse and having a procession instead of just saying ‘We’ll meet at the church,’” he said. “If they ban escorts, I know it will get some people upset.”
Funeral homes usually contract peace officers, such as police officers and constable’s deputies, for the processions, Gonzalez said, because they are the only ones authorized by law to stop and direct traffic. But funeral homes also have another alternative: private escort companies. Rivera Funeral home usually contracts the service from a local company, except when the family of the deceased requests the constables or other law enforcement agencies, Gonzalez said.
Some funeral homes in bigger cities, like Dallas, have actually stopped offering the services because traffic can become quite heavy, he added.
“Even with escorts … some people out there are just in a rush,” he said. “They won’t slow down or they’ll try to beat the procession.”
Another important issue to consider is how the lines will be drawn if the processions are banned, Gonzalez said.
“What happens when you have a high ranking official who passes away, and here come (city police) and county officials providing an escort, but yet for regular people they can’t have one,” Gonzalez said. “That could be another problem.”
“If you’re going to do it, you’re going to have to do it across the board for everybody.”
Guerra said he understands that many see processions as a way to honor the dead but the issue deserves to be reviewed.
“I’m sure there’s a few who are used to the processions, but I think it’s something we have to look at,” he said. “I think the loss of one life is too many.”
Pharr police have not released the victim’s identity and are still investigating the accident, said Sgt. Santiago Solis. The deputy, who was being treated for non-life threatening injuries, is out of the hospital and the condition of the other driver is unknown, he said.
Investigators are waiting for blood-test results, which are always administered when a fatality is involved, he added.
“It’s all going to depend on the complete investigation and the blood results,” he said. “And if everything comes back clean, most likely there won’t be (any charges filed).”
Police, however, will submit the report to Guerra’s office, and it will make the final decision, Solis said.
Or perhaps a “Bereavement Bus”?
Most states have specific laws for funeral processions.
Cool idea. One with a fully stocked bar?
To me, the “point” is to take a few moments to realize that what’s so damn important to me really isn’t. And, although I don’t know the decedent, others do and I hope to provide the same courtesy to them that I’d like for my own family and loved ones. People are foolishly self-interested and think their “errands” and such are somehow going to change the world or something.
I was on a freeway and a very long procession was taking up the slow lane. It was a mess because nobody could break through and take the exits. The middle lane skidded to a halt. In all the mayhem, I missed my exit and had to drive to the next one and make a u-turn, not a short distance. Not a great big deal since I’m still alive to tell about it, but the situation could have resulted in accidents.
It’s one thing on back roads, but processions on major roads is a hazard.
I was on a freeway and a very long procession was taking up the slow lane. It was a mess because nobody could break through and take the exits. The middle lane skidded to a halt. In all the mayhem, I missed my exit and had to drive to the next one and make a u-turn, not a short distance. Not a great big deal since I’m still alive to tell about it, but the situation could have resulted in accidents.
It’s one thing on back roads, but processions on major roads is a hazard.
The DA who wants to ban these funeral processions must not travel outside of his home county. Funeral processions take place in almost every city in the US everyday with some minor exceptions. These processions are a staple of American life and indeed processions of some type are used in most every culture in the world.
What I take from this article is the increasing lack of respect and manners, not only for the dead, but for the living who are mourning/honoring the deceased, as well as for the authorities (uniformed, undertakers and clergy) who are trying to provide a service to the community.
One of the nice things about America is that if you wish to do such for a funeral of one your deaceased loved ones you can.
Well, at least America used to be that way. More and more the Nanny-staters wish to impose their will on the rest of us. Especially it seems when a time honored tradition of repsect and honor is on the line. (Like putting up a cross in memory of deceased soldiers and such...)
My first thought: Why don’t people just crawl in a hole and not move or interact with each other. Think of the infections. Think of RISK. Think of the RISKS when you just celebrate another’s life.
Everytime people go anywhere, do something, there is a risk to life. Then again, they can just die in home, in bed. Hmmmmm. I remember a person who was in a car stopped at a red light, and a limb of a tree fell down and killed him. What were the odds of that???
Deaths happens. Then again, life happens. Is there a God or not? The responsibility for life should be up to the individual in a free society. The more government interferes with rules and regulations and threats, the more people expect safety, so they let down caution......I think the autobahn is an example of that principle.
People are more responsible for their lives when they don’t assume government and rules are there to protect them. Take the people who don’t own guns because of the police force. Think of the people who aren’t cautious at intersections because of a green light and get killed because of someone running a red. It seems that happens quite a lot actually—to my father-in-law anyway.
Life is a risk. Some people have a lot of “luck”, some people have none. That is life.
The one thing I have observed—is more nanny state rules and regulations, the less free and the more at risk everyone it. Think of how everyone assumed dog food was safe because we have the FDA and lost their pets. Are you really so sure of the safety of our food supply because of the FDA? I’m not. Wouldn’t trust them at all when they allowed melamine in baby formula. What else do people not know.
We really have to get back to the original intent of the Constitution. People should all be responsible for themselves and government should be doing what it was designed for—protect property rights (laugh) and protect borders (laughing even harder). And our populous has got to grow up and be responsible for themselves and not expect government to hold their hand as they cross a street so they don’t get hit by a car.
My father, grandfather, and uncle were all law enforcement of various types. Everyone of them hated the processions because of the danger involved in them. Neither my father nor my grandfather had a procession at their funeral.
I am not sure but it appears that you want to get rid of all road safety rules and traffic control devices?
I don’t agree with Mr. Guerra, but I think he makes some valid points. I’ve always thought it a troubling conflict of interest that private parties can hire peace officers in their official capacities for private events.
For example, why should a uniformed Dallas police officer be empowered to stop traffic on Monfort Drive to let bank customers have reasonable access to the thoroughfare when the bank should bear the cost of having to move locations? I have had to wait for considerable periods and been more than a little inconvenienced by such arrangments.
I think the official justification is that the city’s allowing a police officer to “work security” is much cheaper than installing a traffic light, but that is really a dodge. It ends up rewarding a stupid decision by bank management and appropriating the time of motorists who aren’t bank customers - this without just compensation.
I’m really adamant about not granting police powers to private individuals or interests. There is just too much potential for abuse.
But I have missed appointments in order to stop for funeral processions. Under the circumstances, I don’t mind. I figure it’s the least I can do for the grieving friends and family members. Do unto others and all that...
That would add a bit of stress to those who attend from out of town. After riding in several processions of our fallen troops it is a comfort to see those who come outside and give respect to the fallen during the entire procession. Most of the families have also voiced that it gave them comfort to see community support during the trip from the funeral to the final resting place.
A few months ago, my FIL passed away after a long full life. During the procession, we passed a parking lot where the local cheerleaders were having a carwash to raise money. They saw us all slowly driving by and they got excited, thinking that we were potential customers. They jumped around, shook their pompoms and cheered loudly as we passed. The old man would have loved it!
What I take from this article is the increasing lack of respect and manners,
Seems to me a safety toss-up. Is it more dangerous to have a funeral procession, or to have 80-year-old Uncle Frank and Aunt Bertha driving around lost, looking for the cemetery?
Great story.
...and casseroles!
The worst: When they do the motorcade on the freeway.
Sometimes it isn’t just the elderly. We had relatively young cousins attend my Mom’s funeral. They live in central Pa (small town). They were thrown into D.C. suburban driving... rude, aggressive etc... Plus, they were unsure of the area. That was for the viewing. We split them up into friend’s cars for the burial.
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