Sheriff’s office resumes funeral escorts

The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office resumed providing escorts for local funeral homes this month. In a statement released Monday, Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe said the funeral escorts resumed Jan. 14 after having been discontinued under the previous administration due to manpower and staffing issues. The funeral escorts were a hot topic during the 2010 campaign and Bledsoe said he has been working diligently to resolve the manpower issues to get this important community service back into effect. The statement says local funeral homes have been provided with forms, contact information and procedures for scheduling funeral escorts with the sheriff’s office at no charge to the family of the deceased. Escorts will begin at the funeral site and will lead the procession to an in-county cemetery or the county line for burials outside Dickson County. Bledsoe said if an emergency arises, the escorting deputy will respond to the emergency “but every effort will be made to conduct the escort.”