ATLANTA, March 22 (UPI) -- Police departments in major U.S. cities, including Atlanta and Los Angeles, say they will no longer provide police escorts for civilian funeral processions.
Officials blame liability and staffing concerns for the shift in policy.
USA Today said Monday Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis and Charlotte, N.C., are among other cities where police escorts will only be provided to funerals of military personnel, police officers or firefighters.
Lliability concerns stem from court findings in Florida and Tennessee, which found that police and funeral homes can be held accountable for crashes during funeral processions, USA today said.
The Chicago Police Department Office of News Affairs said Chicago remains one of the country's larger cities that still offers police escorts for certain funeral processions.
The department offers "police escorts for funeral services when the need arises, usually on the occasion of large crowds that necessitate police presence for public safety reasons."
