A Stripped-Down Farewell for PC Arilee Young

Arilee Young

A funeral service for thirty-seven-year-old Arilee Young, the police officer who was shot and killed by her boyfriend last Friday, will be held on August twenty-seventh at the Santa Elena Cemetery.  The memorial mass for the slain cop will fall within the existing COVID regulations which means that the pageantry that traditionally accompanies the interment will be limited to a slow march and a twenty-one gun salute only.  Notwithstanding the size of PC Young’s family, the Belize Police Department is scaling down the farewell ceremony.  According to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, saying goodbye to one of their own amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be a subdued sendoff.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We are the police and we have to, as much as we can, abide by the regulations.  If not then we are going to be criticized and rightfully so.  You would know that when it comes to an official funeral there are certain elements that must be present and so we will be having just the firing party, that will be the team that gives the twenty-one gun salute.  We’ll have the pallbearers, those are the persons who carry the casket, a few wreath bearers and the band to do a slight slow march to the burial site.  We’re not going to have that pomp and circumstance that we normally have associated with police officers’ funerals.  We’re going to cut it down significantly to ensure that new abide by the COVID-19 regulations.”