Easing the loss
Eaton County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Jungel was the brains behind a remarkable program to ease the pain and confusion of a line of duty death.
Eaton County Sheriff’s Lieutenant sets up a remarkable program to help ease the pain of a line-of-duty death.
The loss of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty is felt by many—family and friends, colleagues, the department, and the community as a whole. Lieutenant Timothy Jungel recognized the important fact that when the unthinkable happens and an officer dies on the job, those devastated by the death often require assistance to deal with the tragedy.
To assist the family, friends, and colleagues of fallen officers, Tim, a lieutenant with the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan, set up the Michigan Sheriff’s & Municipal Memorial Assistance Response Team (S.M.M.A.R.T.). Since 2003, this team has responded to line of duty deaths throughout the state of Michigan. 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. The team is available 24-hours a day.
It’s an extraordinary effort that’s been noticed throughout the profession and this month the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) announced that Lt. Jungel, would be the recipient of their prestigious “Officer of the Month Award” for February.
As the Honor Guard/Color Guard Coordinator for his agency, Lieutenant Jungel is responsible for the “casket watch,” the visitation, and the funeral and graveside services. He also coordinates the pallbearers, the bagpiper, and the bugler. Tim has attended every funeral the Michigan Sheriff’s Association’s S.M.M.A.R.T. team has assisted with since its inception in 2003.
Read more on the NLEOMF website.
In addition to this tremendous effort in Michigan, Lieutenant Jungel travels across the country to both national and statewide conferences to present information about the S.M.M.A.R.T. team to other agencies. Should another agency wish to develop its own program, he is there to assist in any way possible. Lieutenant Jungel also administers an Honor Guard and Color Guard training school which is attended by law enforcement officers and firefighters from across Michigan and neighboring states. The team has been extremely successful and has recently expanded to include the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police as a joint partner. Lieutenant Jungel has volunteered hundreds of off-duty hours to service the needs of his professional family. He sets a high standard for those in law enforcement of leadership by example.
Lieutenant Timothy Jungel has served with the Eaton County (MI) Sheriff’s Office for 19 years. In addition to his current duties as a Lieutenant and as the department’s Honor Guard Coordinator, he also serves the department as a firearms instructor and is a member of the Special Response Team (SRT).
Located in the nation’s capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.
Lieutenant Jungel, along with the other Officer of the Month Award winners for 2014, will be honored at a special awards luncheon in Washington, DC, in May 2015, during National Police Week. In addition, their stories of heroism and service will be featured in the Memorial Fund’s annual calendar.
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