Beginning January 1, 2020, the Nebraska Crime Commission’s Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) began collecting quarterly reports on deaths in custody from law enforcement agencies across the state through the Nebraska Criminal Justice Information System (NCJIS). This information is then submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance in compliance with the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013. This act replaced previous efforts at collecting data regarding arrest related deaths and deaths in correctional institutions and combines them in to one quarterly report.
Reportable deaths include the following:
• All deaths resulting from any use of force by state or local law enforcement personnel.
• All deaths caused by injuries sustained while attempting to elude state or local law enforcement personnel or injuries incurred after custody has been established.
• All deaths attributed to suicide, alcohol, or other drug intoxications, or medical conditions (e.g., cardiac arrest) that occur during the process of arrest by or in the custody of state or local law enforcement personnel.
• All deaths occurring in the custody of state or local law enforcement personnel responding to a medical or mental health assistance or welfare call.
• All deaths that occur while confined in lockups or booking centers
• Any inmate death that occurred while in the custody of local jails, state prison, state juvenile correctional facilities, or private correctional facilities.
In addition to collecting incident reports for any deaths in custody, the SAC also collects Zero Reports from agencies who do not have any deaths in custody to report for the quarter. These Zero Reports help to ensure statewide compliance with reporting requirements and make up the vast majority of reports received.
