Death Notification Training


April 29, 2015

The FBI—together with Penn State University—launches a new educational tool designed to train law enforcement and other first responders how to inform family members of crime victims of their loved one's death.


Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: The FBI—together with Penn State University—launches a new educational tool designed to train law enforcement and other first responders how to inform family members of crime victims of their loved one’s death.

Research shows that the way a death notification is delivered significantly impacts a family’s grieving process and can effect potential prosecutions. It can also be the most stressful part of the job for those delivering the news. FBI Director James Comey says the online, free training will improve…

Director James Comey: The way in which we are going to teach all of law enforcement, including ourselves, how to be better when we intersect with people at the most painful moment of their entire lives.

Halpern: Part of the training includes a video in which Karen Schmoyer shares the moment she was told her 15-year-old daughter was murdered.

Karen Schmoyer: In the death notification, there’s no easy way to handle that information, to either deliver it or receive it. I had to know it, I had to get the answers that they were able to provide.

Halpern: To learn more, visit www.fbi.gov. I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau with FBI, This Week.

-Related story: Death Notification with Compassion

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