Death investigations 04-02 Flashcards
Who must be notified of an attempt suicide
Supervisory officer
When must a supervisor attend a death investigation
Suicide Possible/Unnatural or Sudden death Suspicious death Suspected homicide Sudden unexpected death Apparent suicide or accident where only the only witness or person present at the time of death or the finding of the body is an intimate partner past or present
When must a divisional detective attend the death investigation
Death of a child under five Sudden unexpected death of a child Unnatural sudden death Sudden unexpected death Apparent suicide or accident where the only witness or person present at the time of death or the finding of the body is an intimate partner past or present
Who can pronounced death
No person except a qualified medical practitioner except when death appears obvious
Will emergency medical services transport a deceased person
Only when body removal service is not readily available
When will the coroner be notified and requested to attend
In all cases of a unnatural sudden death
How is the death of a child under five years of age treated
Every sudden unexpected death of a child or the death of a child under five must be investigated as suspicious
Who determines admittance into the postmortem examination room
Medical director of the facility
Who may be granted admittance into the postmortem examination room
Only those who have an essential need to be present
Including F I S
A police officer who has direct information regarding the case and needs to be present for investigative reasons
Access to the autopsy may be granted to officers for what reasons
Only to officers who have an operational, investigative or educational [By appointment only] need to be present
Responding to an attempted suicide, sudden-death or a unnatural sudden death who designates a line of approach to the victim
First police officer on scene
If additional officers arrive on scene who is in charge
The first officer on scene is in charge until a supervisory officer arrives
Does the coroner have to be notified to attend a unnatural death
Yes and must be confirmed
Who decides if a SOCO or scenes of crime officer examines a crime scene
Officer in charge of F I S
Can a scene of crimes officer (SOCO) be assigned to death investigations involving sudden unexpected death of a child or the death of a child under five years of age or a suspicious death or suspected homicide
No
If a death occurs on TTC property who will photograph the scene
And F I S investigator or a SOCO [With approval from F I S] will photograph the scene
When responding to an attempted suicide or death on TTC property, what shall a police officer do
Ensure electrical power is turned off before approaching track level
Does a detective need to attend a death on TTC property
Yes
Can a body be removed prior to the scene being photographed
Yes, but only at the direction of the coroner, there is no requirement to wait for a detective to arrive before the body is moved.
Who is responsible for the quality and thoroughness of the uniform response
First supervisory officer
Who is responsible for ensuring effective management of the scene and the thoroughness of the investigation and the appropriate notifications
Divisional detective
In the case of an unnatural death who must the first supervisory officer ensure the attendance of
Divisional detective
The coroner
An F I S investigator
What is the officer in charge responsible for in a death investigation
The officer in charge is responsible for insuring an appropriate uniform response, and in the absence of the Detective Sgt. an appropriate investigative response
When notified of an unnatural sudden death what shall the OIC ensure
Detective personnel attend the scene
A copy of the completed eReport is forwarded by TPS fax to the office of the Chief Coroner as soon as practible
Who attends an autopsy of a child aged 0 to 12
Investigative specialist criminal investigations - FIS
Who notifies next of kin of a death as a result of motor vehicle collision
Traffic services supervisor
Who notifies next of kin of a death as a result of a homicide
SCI - Homicide
Who does the detective notify if next of kin notifications are unsuccessful
Divisional Detective Sgt.
Who notifies next of kin
When it is necessary to notify a next of kin should ensure the notification is
made in person
made by a supervisory officer in lieu of a constable
Who does the supervisory officer at the scene notify if next of kin notification is unsuccessful
Divisional Detective.
If next of kin notifications are unsuccessful what shall the Detective Sergeant do
Upon receiving information that a police officer has been unable to contact a next of kin shall take the appropriate action to ensure that the next of kin is notified.
When must an officer attend a morgue and be physically present when a deceased is identified
homicide, suspected homicide or other related criminal offences
cases where the investigating officer has requested the presence of another officer
cases where an inquest has been or is likely to be called
when the Coroner believes it is necessary due to the nature of the case, or the condition of the person doing the identification.
How shall a body be transported to the morgue (position of body()
Bodies should always be transported and stored in the supine (face up) position
pending post mortem examination to avoid introducing artifacts which may obscure post mortem findings.
