In Custody Deaths

The Boston Police Department's Homicide Investigation Unit, in conjunction with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, investigates deaths that occur while a prisoner is under police custody. This may include incidents that occur during arrest, transport, while in a holding cell, etc.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office has legal authority over all death investigations in Suffolk County. They investigate all in custody deaths in conjunction with BPD, and make a determination as to whether there is a violation of criminal law.

Due to the infrequency of in-custody deaths, this dashboard will be updated as soon as possible following an incident, or a new medical examiner report is received. If there are no incidents in a year the dashboard will be updated annually to record a zero for the previous year.