1st Edition

Investigation and Prevention of Officer-Involved Deaths

    229 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Each year, too many law enforcement officers die in the line of duty and too many people are killed by the police. Yet, can any of these deaths be avoided? To answer this we must investigate the nature and causes of these deaths in an unbiased and objective manner to highlight and expose weaknesses in policy that can be amended through more rigorous, enlightened, and culture-sensitive training.

    Examining hypothetical cases drawn from the most prevalent and typical officer-involved deaths in recent years, Investigation and Prevention of Officer-Involved Deaths reviews the circumstances, relevant discussions, and critical issues for each case type wherein law enforcement officers have had to respond outside of their usual and trained experience and where the final outcome was the death of either the suspect, an innocent bystander, or the officer.

    With a focus on crime scene investigation and the collection and preservation of the relevant forensic evidence, the book outlines appropriate crime scene procedures for each situation and lists potential categories of forensic evidence to be searched for, collected, and submitted to the forensic laboratory for analysis. The authors discuss postmortem protocols, including autopsy reports, toxicological analyses, and other appropriate investigative findings. They then examine policy and training protocols for each, look at the use and potential benefit of less-lethal weapons, and pose the critical question of "what would you do if you were the police officer."

    Through the serious study of each of the categories presented in this book, police officers and other groups of law enforcement officials can more fully comprehend and appreciate the societal significance of such cases. The more aware, sensitive, and well-educated are officers of the law, the more dignified, humane, and safe are the communities they are sworn to serve.

    Reducing and Preventing Deaths by Training and Policy Guidance
    High-Risk Business
    Civil Liability
    Negligence
    Civil Rights
    Law Enforcement Training
    Contemporary Law Enforcement Training
    Basic Recruit and In-Service Training Programs
    The Field Training Officer Program
    Job Task Analysis and Training
    The Need for Change and Leadership
    Training to Prevent Mistakes and Liability
    Focused Training on Authority to Use Force
    Focused Training on Preemptive Action
    Policies Can Reduce Deaths
    Supreme Court Decisions on the Use of Force
    Policy Guidance and Domestic Violence
    The Exercise of Discretion
    Prevention of Illegitimate Exercise of Discretion
    National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice
    Standards and Goals
    Variables
    Policies and Procedures
    The National Law Enforcement Policy Center
    Police Policies and Official Immunity
    Identification of Areas in Which Policy and Procedure
    Guidance Is Needed
    Summary
    Endnotes

    Less-Lethal Weapons
    Reducing Injury and Death
    Types of Incidents
    Less-Lethal Not Required by Law
    The Ideal Less-Lethal Weapon
    The National Law Enforcement Technology Center
    Capture Devices
    Impact Weapons (Beanbags)
    Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs)
    Operational Success of CEDs
    Scenario
    How Would You Have Handled the above Scenario?
    Summary
    Endnotes

    Officer-Involved Shootings (OISs)
    What Would You Have Done?
    Best Practices
    Crime Scene Investigation
    Preliminary Reconstruction
    Releasing the Scene
    Laboratory Analysis and Reconstruction
    Cartridge Cases / Shells
    Weapon Examination
    Gunshot Residues (GSR)
    Examination of Ricochet Bullets
    Bloodstain Pattern and Tissue Examination
    Reconstruction
    Pathology / Medical Examination
    Endnotes
    Appendix: IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center
    Concepts and Issues Paper Titled "Investigation of
    Officer-Involved Shootings" (August 1999)
    Notes

    Emergency Vehicle Operations
    What Would You Have Done?
    Investigation of Accidents
    Crime Scene Investigation
    Best Practices
    Pathology
    Autopsy Report of Police Shooting during Pursuit
    Endnotes
    Appendix: IACP Vehicular Pursuit Policy

    Excited Delirium
    What Would You Have Done?
    Best Practices Based upon What We Know
    Investigation of the Scene
    General Crime Scene Procedure
    Collection, Preservation, and Packaging of Physical Evidence
    Preliminary Reconstruction
    Releasing the Scene
    TASER and Excited Delirium
    Endnotes

    Suicide-by-Cop (SbC) Incidents
    Indicators of Suicide-by-Cop
    A Typical SbC Scenario
    What Would You Have Done?
    SbC Resolution Tactics
    Investigation at the SbC Scene
    General SbC Scene Procedures
    Crime Scene Search
    Assignment of Responsibility
    Preliminary Reconstruction
    Releasing the Scene
    Summary of Crime Scene Procedures
    The Future
    Endnotes

    Positional Asphyxiation
    What Would You Have Done?
    Best Practices
    Crime Scene and Forensic Evidence
    General Procedures
    Documentation of the Crime Scene
    Preliminary Reconstruction
    Autopsy Report —Positional Asphyxia Death
    Sample Report of Opinions of a Coroner’s Office
    Summary
    Endnotes

    In-Custody Deaths
    What Would You Have Done?
    Example—Pathological Examination
    Gross Description
    Medical Treatment of Prisoners
    Best Practices
    Endnotes

    Emotionally Disturbed Persons
    What Would You Have Done?
    Best Practices
    Crises Intervention Teams
    Crime Scene and Forensic Evidence
    General Scene Procedure
    Crime Scene Investigation
    Preliminary Reconstruction
    Releasing the Scene
    Laboratory Analysis
    Cartridge Cases/Shells
    Weapon Examination
    Gunshot Residues
    Examination of Ricochet Bullets
    Bloodstain Pattern and Tissues Examination
    Reconstruction
    Endnotes
    Index

    Biography

    Cyril H Wecht, M.D. Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science & Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr Henry C Lee, DP Van Blaricom Chief of Police (Retired), Bellevue, Washington, USA. Mel Tucker Raleigh North Carolina, USA.