GENERAL ORDERS LINCOLN POLICE DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: GENERAL OPERATIONS
TITLE: DEATH INVESTIGATIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE: JUNE 1, 2025
REVISION DATE:
ACCREDITATION: ALABAMA ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE (AACOP)
APPROVAL: CHIEF DARREN E. BRITTON
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DEATH INVESTIGATIONS
331.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for situations where officers initially respond to and investigate the circumstances of a deceased person.
Some causes of death may not be readily apparent and some cases differ substantially from what they appear to be initially. The thoroughness of death investigations and use of appropriate resources and evidence gathering techniques is critical.
331.2 POLICY
It is the policy of the Lincoln Police Department to respond, document and investigate incidents where a person is deceased. Investigations involving the death of a person, including those from natural causes, accidents, workplace incidents, suicide and homicide, shall be initiated, conducted and properly documented.
331.3 INVESTIGATION CONSIDERATIONS
If in doubt of the circumstance that exist at a death scene, the responding officer should notify their immediate supervisor to respond and assess the elements of the scene. The patrol supervisor should then determine the need to consult with and/or call out the on-call Investigator. The responding officer and/or shift supervisor should remain on the scene and wait for the arrival of the on-call Investigator.
In after-hours incidents, when needed, the patrol supervisor should first contact the on-call Investigator for assistance. Upon assessing the crime scene, the responding Investigator will, in turn, notify the Forensics Unit in instances where the collection of evidence is too complex and/or should require specialized equipment to process.
331.3.1 REPORTING
All incidents involving a death shall be documented on an Alabama Uniform Incident/Offense Report in being a "Death Investigations.".
331.3.2 CORONER REQUEST
Officers are not authorized to pronounce death unless they are also Coroners, Deputy Coroners or appointed Coroner investigators. The Coroner shall be called in all sudden or unexpected deaths or deaths due to other than natural causes. Any death occurring within the City of Lincoln and where the victim is not a hospice patient and/or medical personnel were not present shall require the presence of the corner and/or his or her designee of the county in which the death occurred. A death investigation report shall be made documenting the death. Standard procedures shall be followed if foul play is suspected, and the Deputy Chief of Police shall be notified. State law requires that the Coroner be notified in any of the following cases, where the death is:
(a) Unlawful, suspicious, or unnatural (Ala. Code § 36-18-2).
(b) Sudden or violent (Ala. Code § 11-5-30).
(c) A sudden death of an infant, less than one year of age, whose death occurs outside the direct care of a physician (Ala. Code § 26-16-110 et seq.).
331.3.3 SEARCHING DEAD BODIES
(a) The Coroner, his/her assistant, and authorized investigators are generally the only persons permitted to move, handle or search a dead body.
(b) An officer may make a reasonable search of an individual, who it is reasonable to believe is dead, or near death, for the purpose of identification or for information identifying the individual as an anatomical donor. If a donor document is located, the Coroner or his/her assistant shall be notified in accordance to policy.
(c) The Coroner, with the permission of the Department, may take property, objects, or articles found on the deceased or in the immediate vicinity of the deceased that may be necessary for conducting an investigation to determine the identity of the deceased or the cause or manner of death.
(d) Should exigent circumstances indicate to an officer that any other search of a known dead body is warranted prior to the arrival of the Coroner or his/her assistant, the investigating officer should first obtain verbal consent from the Coroner or his/her assistant when practicable.
(e) Whenever reasonably possible, a witness, preferably a relative to the deceased or a member of the household, should be requested to remain nearby the scene and available to the officer pending the arrival of the Coroner or his/her assistant. The name and address of this person shall be included in the narrative of the Death Investigation report.
(f) Whenever personal effects are removed from the body of the deceased by the Coroner or his/her assistant, a receipt shall be obtained. This receipt shall be attached to the Death Investigation report.
331.3.4 SUSPECTED HOMICIDE
If the initially assigned officer suspects that the death involves a homicide or other suspicious circumstances, the officer shall take steps to protect the scene. The Criminal Investigations shall be notified to determine the possible need for an investigator to respond to the scene.
If the on-scene supervisor, through consultation with the Watch Commander or Criminal Investigations Supervisor, is unable to determine the manner of death, the investigation shall proceed as though it is a homicide.
In the event of a major crime scene (i.e., Homicides, suspicious death investigations, and other complicated scene work), the Forensics Unit and the on-call Investigator shall be notified to respond to the scene. Upon assessing the scene, the on-call Investigator will immediately notify and inform the C.I.D. Supervisor, to permit the call out of additional personnel if needed. In such instances, the scene should be immediately secured with crime scene tape once the medical intervention is complete. No one will be permitted within the scene lines to include the corners office and/or medical personnel until cleared by the responding Forensics Unit Investigators.
Communications will not contact the corners office until told by the Forensics Unit Investigators and/or by the on-call C.I.D. Investigator on scene. Once contacted, the corner will respond to conduct a physical examination, test, and provide a report.
This directive should in no way be misconstrued to overlook the necessity to react under exigent circumstances where evidence may be lost or in any instance where the Forensics Unit's response is requested/ordered by the Chief of Police.
331.3.5 EMPLOYMENT-RELATED DEATHS OR INJURIES
Any member of this department who responds to and determines that a death, serious illness or serious injury has occurred as a result of an accident at or in connection with the victim's employment should ensure that the regional Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) office is notified of all pertinent information.
331.4 UNIDENTIFIED DEAD BODY
If the identity of a dead body cannot be established, the handling officer will request from the Coroner a unique identifying number for the body. The number shall be included in any report.
331.5 DEATH NOTIFICATION
When reasonably practicable, and if not handled by the Coroner’s Office, notification to the next-of-kin of the deceased person shall be made, in person, by the officer assigned to the incident. If the next-of-kin lives in another jurisdiction, a law enforcement official from that jurisdiction shall be requested to make the personal notification.
If a deceased person has been identified as a missing person, this department shall attempt to locate family members and inform them of the death and location of the deceased missing person's remains. All efforts to locate and notify family members shall be recorded in appropriate reports.
These policies and operating procedures are not designed to cover every possible scenario or situation in society, but rather to define standard operating procedures for members of the Lincoln Police Department. These guidelines are subject to past, present and future judicial review. These guidelines can be amended and or repealed by the Chief of Police as necessary. The policies and procedures herein provided supersede all previous policies and orders.
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