From staff and AP reports

Funeral processions are a time-honored tradition in the South, but the customary show of respect is dying in some cities.

The Gulfport Police Department has limited funeral processions to five cars, a move that has upset people who believe the policy represents the untimely death of a tradition steeped in Southern culture.

Gulfport Police Chief Alan Weatherford said the decision was made over concerns about public safety, manpower and liabilities. The funeral escorts are handled by on-duty officers.

The only exceptions to the five-car rule are processions for first-responders who die on duty or soldiers killed in combat.

The decision met heavy criticism from some who feel deprived of a traditional show of respect. Others say the change will reduce traffic congestion and the risk of accidents.

For years, the sight of a hearse followed by cars with headlights on has been an immediate sign for motorists to pull over and stop as a show of respect.

However, a Sun Herald newspaper review of trends nationwide shows many law enforcement agencies — even in the Deep South — have gotten out of the funeral escort business over the past decade.

Police in Jackson, Mississippi’s most populous city, haven’t had police-led funeral processions for the general public in several years.

“We figured out some time ago that if we didn’t quit doing them, we’d have more officers on funeral escorts than out on the street,” said Jackson Police Sgt. Joseph Cotton. “We were inundated with requests.”

In Vicksburg, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said discussions with area funeral directors have included a mention of trying to limit the number of cars in a procession, but it’s often not possible.

“The public has come to expect it,” Pace said, “and we feel it’s actually safer to provide the escort than to let the people go on their own. As long as we can provide that service and continue to be covered by our insurance carrier, I intend to continue to provide it.”

Vicksburg police, however, have not encountered a staffing problem. “Funeral processions usually pass in a matter of minutes — 10 to 15 at the most — and then our officers go back to their assigned runs,” said Chief Walter Armstrong, who stations patrolmen at various intersections along the funeral procession route. “We may re-evaluate it at some point, but right now we have no plans to change.”

The tradition of police-led funeral processions has died in just about every metropolitan city in the nation.