NCJ Number
203967
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 71 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2004 Pages: 44,46,49
Date Published
January 2004
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article offers guidance for investigating cases of sudden deaths of persons in police custody where the autopsy has not shown a clear cause of death.
Abstract
Unfortunately, there have been and will continue to be cases of sudden and unexplained deaths among persons in police custody. In many of these cases, the autopsy will uncover the clear cause of death. In some instances, however, the cause of death is not discovered through an autopsy and further investigation is necessary. In such cases, it is imperative for investigators to examine three main facets: the subject’s personal history, the nature of the custody incident, and the environmental factors surrounding the incident. An examination of a subject’s personal history should cover many different facets. Of interest to investigators is the subject’s residential history, educational history, family history, employment history, financial history, police contact history, medical history, nutritional history, behavioral history, and substance abuse history. Any of these areas may provide clues to the cause of death. For example, an examination of a subject’s educational history may uncover a history of frequent accidents or behaviors suggestive of substance abuse. Likewise, an examination of a subject’s employment history may provide clues about mental health problems or health risks caused by working conditions. The nature of the custody incident is the second area of investigation. In many cases, the subject may have behaved violently toward police officers, causing a level of force to be used against the subject. It is important to understand if any part of the custody incident led to the death of the subject. An investigation of the custody incident should include an examination of any behaviors exhibited by the subject prior to the use of physical force, the type and duration of resistance exhibited by the subject when an arrest was attempted, how the custody incident affected police officers, and how the subject was transported and treated following the custody incident. Next, an investigator should examine environmental factors surrounding the death, such as any climatic conditions to which the subject may have been exposed. Temperature of the air and ground and clothing of the subject must all be examined. By following this protocol, the reasons for many difficult to explain deaths will be discovered, possibly saving the taxpayers from erroneous lawsuits against police. Bibliography