Overkill: Avenging the Death of Deputy Grant Whitaker

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The Funeral

December 15, 2016

Although it is clear within hours of Whitaker's death that it was due to his own reckless, high-speed driving, law enforcement's public relations machine springs into action. Whitaker is to receive the elaborate, over-the-top hero's funeral that is the standard for public safety officer deaths in the line of duty. In Michigan, an organization exists just for this purpose: the Michigan Sheriff’s & Municipal Memorial Assistance Response Team (S.M.M.A.R.T.), created and led by Lieutenant Timothy Jungel of the sheriff's office in neighboring Eaton County and jointly operated by the Michigan Sheriffs' Association and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. (source) The S.M.M.A.R.T. team organizes the “casket watch,” in which pairs of Whitaker's colleagues stand watch over his body in 8-hour shifts; the visitation; and the funeral and graveside services. They coordinate the pallbearers, bagpipers, and bugler. "The team's purpose is to help the family and department by alleviating the stress of planning a funeral in order to allow them to take time for themselves to begin healing and dealing with other emergencies." This is what ordinary citizens pay a funeral home to do. Of course, ordinary citizens don't get the bagpipers, the riderless horse, the helicopter flyover (7 helicopters for really big heroes), the U.S. flag suspended between two hook-and-ladder trucks, the long processions of uniformed officers in squad cars and motorcycles, an appearance by the governor, and so on. And on.

The evening of December 11, about 300 people gather at a vigil in front of the Ingham County Police Memorial in Mason. The funeral, which takes place the next day, is described in a Lansing State Journal story and memorialized in this 4-minute video initially found on the website of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association: