Another handcuffed individual mysteriously dies in police custody

[shance]

Handcuffed man dies in custody of police
Judi Villa
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 5, 2007 12:00 AM

A handcuffed man stopped breathing and died after struggling with Phoenix police officers who were arresting him early Thursday.

Archie R. Poole Jr., 41, is the second person in the last week to die in police custody. Carol Gotbaum, 45, died last Friday after she was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct at Sky Harbor International Airport and placed in a holding room.

Poole, of Tolleson, is the fifth person to die in police custody this year. Last year, six people died in custody. advertisement


In-custody deaths occur across the country and have become a hot-button issue in recent years, particularly after officers began using Tasers to subdue suspects who then died. Last year, the U.S. Justice Department launched a review of the deaths of up to 180 people who died after law-enforcement officers used stun guns or other electroshock devices to subdue them.

But experts say just the process of being arrested can trigger physiological responses that could lead to death in people experiencing "excited delirium," in which a shutdown of bodily function occurs after sensory overload.

(Or perhaps a number of stuns from a taser gun with no witnesses around could do it as well....)

Dr. Phillip Keene, the former Maricopa County medical examiner, said drug users and those who are obese or suffering from hypertension are more susceptible to "excited delirium," although not everybody who is at risk will actually experience it. Excited delirium sets in very quickly and without any warning.

"It's mostly a roll of the dice," Keene said.


Police haven't released details about the struggle that led to Poole's death, although officials said they did use "physical force" to take him into custody.

The officers did not pepper-spray Poole or use a Taser. - (Really, can the officers prove their was surveillance during the entire carceration period and arrest?)



Poole was stopped after patrol officers saw the same car parked in front of two known drugs houses in central Phoenix in a short time. known by whom?

Officers chased Poole into a park and fought with him to get him into custody, police said.

Shortly after police handcuffed Poole, he became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

When a body experiences extreme stress, it produces a "fight or flight" response and chemicals are released that elevate blood pressure and accelerate the heart rate, Keene said. If a person is in this position, further actions that would also release a fight or flight response can cause trouble.

SO WILL A TASER

"It can be anything," Keene said. "It can be handcuffing. It can be yelling at someone. It can be chasing them or tackling them. It can be a taser

You don't have to do anything bad to them to trigger a bad outcome." Yes in truth, you do

Restraining someone can exacerbate the problem by restricting breathing.

When hands are brought behind the back, it also pushes back the shoulders. As a result, the chest can't expand as much, and a person doesn't get as much air.

A University of Toronto study published in 1998 found that restraint "may contribute to the death of people in states of excited delirium." In the study, all 21 cases of unexpected death that were examined were associated with restraint. Eighteen people were lying facedown, and three were subjected to neck pressure.

Gotbaum's death brought a national spotlight on the Phoenix Police Department because of her connections to a prominent New York family and an assemblage of high-powered lawyers.

But all in-custody deaths should get the same scrutiny, said Dan Pochoda, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona.

The organization has begun pushing nationwide to equip patrol cars with videotaping equipment and to require independent investigations of in-custody deaths.

"This is a very serious matter," Pochoda said.

[stimbox]

1. Man, they're killin' people in AZ.

This is sad.

(How long until the authoritarians show up and say he deserved it.)

[shance]

2. They'll keep killing innocent people until we stop them and stop tasers from being used in any

capacity.

[partylessinOhio]

3. You have surrendered all your rights under * fear and Homeland BS.

You have no right to expect a right to life if arrested. This is the new world order. LE is doing this to keep you safe over here.

[shance]

4. Actually we haven't. Illegitimate sources have passed illegal laws and it is up to us to

speak the reality.

That this presidency is illegitimate and with that so are the laws that have been passed.