Deaths occurring in police stations or law enforcement custody, broadly referred to as “deaths in custody,” are systematically tracked in the United States through various official statistical reports. In fiscal year 2021, federal agencies reported a total of 613 deaths in custody, with the majority—80%—attributed to natural causes or illnesses, and 10% due to suicide[2]. Similar patterns persisted in 2022, with 74% of the 483 deaths in custody due to natural causes or illnesses, and 11% attributed to accidents[4].
The circumstances surrounding deaths in custody can vary. Arrest-related deaths—incidents occurring during the process of custodial arrest or while in a police station—comprised 120 cases in 2022 and 105 in 2021. In many such cases, decedents allegedly attempted to injure law enforcement officers (35% in 2022) or discharged a firearm (38% in 2022). Law enforcement officers discharged their firearms in 43% of arrest-related deaths during the same year[4].
Deaths can also result from medical emergencies or conditions such as heart attacks, as well as from accidents or violence. Both accidental and felonious deaths of law enforcement officers, including those occurring at police stations, are also tracked, with leading causes ranging from firearms to motor vehicle accidents and medical events[5].
Demographically, the vast majority of decedents in federal custody in recent years were male (96%), predominantly white (62% in 2021, 63% in 2022), and often older adults (more than half were age 55 or above)[2][4].
Definitions and legal distinctions regarding “death in custody” can vary, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics and related agencies account for all deaths occurring in detention environments, during arrest, and within police stations in their annual reporting[6].
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