Police custody deaths in Maryland, USA: An examination of 45 cases

Abstract

Previous published research suggests there are a diverse, yet relatively consistent, set of factors present in sudden, unexpected, and initially inexplicable deaths in police custody. This retrospective analysis examines police custodial deaths in Maryland, USA. Police custody death is operationalized to include deaths which occurred suddenly and unexpectedly during police/citizen encounters. Only deaths for which the cause was initially undeterminable are included. Suicidal hanging, police shootings and fatal pursuits are not included. Review of the records at Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner indicates that 45 persons died suddenly and unexpectedly in the custody of the police, between 1990 and 2004. Commensurate with existing research, our analysis identifies multiple factors generally present in this type of police custody death. Although individual-specific, these factors include a relatively static constellation of behavioral (e.g., erratic and/or violent behavior, and physical struggle) and physical (e.g., stimulant abuse, natural disease, and obesity) dimensions. While the presence of these factors has been well-documented, their empirical significance, interactions and causal sequence have yet to be established. To increase the methodological rigor of subsequent research, we have developed a comprehensive, national custody death database by which multivariate models may be analyzed.