Crime Scene

The tragic untimely death this week of Brewster High School junior Christopher Caiazzo in a one-car accident near the school made me think of what has to be one of the hardest jobs of a police officer: Death notification.
I know how difficult it is as a reporter to go to a family that has just lost a loved one and get them to tell us why this person was so special and will be missed.
I can only imagine how tough it must be for police to knock on a parent’s door in the middle of the night to tell them that their son or daughter has died in an accident, as someone with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office had to do on Tuesday.
“It is absolutely one of the hardest things to do,� said state police Investigator Tim Santiago, who works out of the BCI — Bureau of Criminal Investigation — at the Cortlandt barracks.
“It’s difficult to watch a parent soak it all in and you’re often at a loss over what to say because you did not know the deceased and, yet, here you are delivering this news about a loved one. It can be very difficult,� he said.
While there is no real training to instruct an officer on how to make a death notification, Santiago said that simple interpersonal skills are all it takes.
“When you can offer empathy in that situation, it’s always helpful,� he said.