How do you break the tragic news to a family that a loved one has been killed in an accident? Obviously there is no easy way for delivering the message gently. But it’s quite evident, too, that this assignment requires delicate sensitivity and a feeling of empathy and understanding. It should not be handled by the tactless or the uninstructed and certainly not without some thoughtful preparation. Perhaps law enforcement agencies are called upon most often to break tragic news to the loved ones. They investigate accidents and frequently are first to be contacted in a disaster in a another county or state. We have discussed this subject with leading law agencies in Utah Valley and believe they are sensitive to the situation and try as a matter of policy to take a tactful, considerate approach. Yet there have been exceptions. Two fairly recent cases o Utah Valley residents losing their lives in other states call attention to a method of notification which, in our opinion, should be changed. In each case, a law enforcement agency in the valley was directed by the out-of-state investigating officers to ask the next of in to telephone a certain number. You can imagine the shock when the loved one called the out-of-state number and the voice on the other end of the line answered. ”Coroner’s office.” This happened in both cases to which we allude. How much better it would be, in our opinion, for officers from the other state to give the basic facts to the local agencies and leave it to their discretion and judgement how to communicate with the families. We are told by Utah Valley law agencies that under usual policy a local officer asks a trusted friend or neighbor of the family who might be the bishop or minister to accompany him to the home. in this way, love and comfort and understanding – so vital at such a time – wil not he overlooked. We know that law officers generally are sympathetic in the face of tragedy. They themselves suffer as they come upon a serious or fatal accident, administer first aid, rush victims to the hospital or try to offer sympathy and condolences. What is needed, it seems to us, is some type of inter-state polic – or insistence by the home og ficer that the local agency be given the full facts and made responsible for delivering the news. Whatever the ultimate answer may be, we feel the subject deserves thoughtful and careful study and even special training for those entrusted with difficult assignments of bearing a sad message.