STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) - City officials in Statesboro have retreated from a plan to charge funeral homes $90 or more for police escorts to accompany funeral processions.
The Statesboro Herald reports the City Council voted to roll back the fee that kicked in Jan. 1. The new policy approved Thursday says officers will be provided for funeral processions at no cost. The police chief will determine how many officers are needed.
Rob Bryan, Statesboro's deputy police chief, said his department had provided up to five officers for 249 funerals within a 14-month period before the policy changed. He said the demand put a strain on the department.
But the decision to charge money for police escorts sparked an outcry. Councilman Travis Chance said: "From a public relations standpoint, I think we got murdered."
