Duties of Law Enforcement

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Duties of law enforcement
Traumatic or suspicious deaths

Forensic investigators serve as the first line of contact for any person reporting a death or requesting transport of a body from a traumatic death scene. The investigator on call may respond to a traumatic death scene in which the body has not been moved to the hospital including drug-overdose cases and traffic fatalities. The primary purpose for scene response will be to gather information, obtain photos for review by the pathologist prior to autopsy, and assist with coordination of schedules for body transport and autopsy. If the scene involves a homicide, infant or suspicious death, the pathologist on call also may respond. The investigating officer should remember that postmortem changes occur with time and may prefer to notify the forensic investigator in an expeditious manner to assist in a timely assessment of the body:

"…It is the duty of the law enforcement officer assigned to and investigating the death to immediately establish and maintain liaison with the medical examiner during the investigation into the cause of death." (s. 406.14, Florida Statutes, emphasis added)

A. The following information is necessary at the time of the call to this office when requesting investigator response to the scene in traumatic or suspicious deaths:

circumstances as to the type of death being reported, i.e., apparent suicide, apparent homicide, traffic fatality, apparent overdose, etc.; and

location of the scene.

B. The following information is necessary at the time of the call to this office when requesting transport of the deceased in traumatic or suspicious deaths when the body has been moved to a hospital or is otherwise no longer at the scene:

complete name of deceased;

date of birth;

race and sex;

home address of deceased;

Social Security number;

next of kin's name and phone number;

funeral home handling the body;

pronouncement of death time and name of person pronouncing;

circumstances surrounding the death and the finding of the deceased as to persons, times, locations, what actions the deceased was performing at the time, etc.;

any noticeable injuries on the deceased;

medications (by name and date prescribed) found at the residence of the deceased (collect and send these medications with the body only when requested!);

name of the officer making (or attempting to make) notification of next of kin;

date, time and name of next of kin who was advised that the case is being investigated by the medical examiner (not just that the death occurred!);

date of last doctor's visit (if any) and all available medical history obtained from family members, neighbors and friends; and

anything of an unusual nature that could raise the possibility of foul play.

C. In the event of a death of an unknown person or one that may result in criminal charges being filed, i.e., DUI auto accident, child abuse or homicide, legal identification has been deemed necessary by the state attorney.

"It is the duty of the law enforcement officer assigned to and investigating the death to immediately establish the identity of the body." (s. 406.145, Florida Statutes).

D. If done visually, two non-related friends who have known the deceased for at least two years should make the identification to a law enforcement official who is handling the death investigation. Exceptions to this visual procedure generally require coordination with the forensic investigator assigned. If visual identification fails, fingerprints, dental X-rays or body X-rays can be used to establish identity when compared to known records of the individual obtained by law enforcement.

E. Obvious or suspected cases of homicide must be handled according to each law enforcement agency's departmental procedures. In such cases the deceased and/or any items on or around the deceased should not be touched or moved until a decision has been made by this office as to whether or not a doctor and investigator will respond to the scene. (s.406.12 Florida Statutes)

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Volusia County, Florida.