At an event held last week at FBI Headquarters, the Bureau—in conjunction with its partners at Penn State University (PSU)—announced a new, no-cost training website for law enforcement agencies and other first responders responsible for notifying the family members of those who have died suddenly as a result of a crime, an accident, a suicide, or other type of incident.
This initiative was developed to better equip law enforcement personnel, victim advocates, coroners, medical examiners, chaplains, hospital staff, and others who find themselves delivering death notifications to do so with professionalism, dignity, and compassion. Not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because the way a death notification is made can have a significant impact on a family's grieving process and on potential future prosecutions. Director James Comey, who spoke at the event held during National Crime Victims' Rights Week, said, "We have to be better when we intersect with people at the most painful moment in their entire lives."
