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May 22, 2026Journal of Forensic Sciences

Analysis of circumstances in police‐related fatalities comparing medical examiner records with a public database

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Authors

RHRichard C. HarruffJLJ Matthew LacyNYNicole Yarid

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Overview

Randomized trial compares police-related fatalities in public database and medical examiner records, indicating the need for improved data accuracy.

Key Points

  • To analyze and compare police-related fatalities reported in a public database with medical examiner records to understand complex circumstances around these deaths.
  • Records from Fatal Encounters (FE) were matched with those from King County Medical Examiner's Office (ME).
  • Circumstantial elements were categorized and analyzed based on Manner of Death, Pre-Custody criteria, and Race.
  • Conditional probabilities were calculated to resolve overlapping circumstances.
  • 172 matched records found with agreement rates between the two sources ranging from 70% to 100%.
  • Disagreements noted concerning whether decedents were unarmed and not fleeing.
  • Racial distribution of deaths was disproportionate compared to the county population.

Cite This Study

Harruff et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a0ff3ecd674f7c03778cceehttps://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.70369
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Also Consider

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  1. 1Validating open-source data on fatal police shootings against self-reports from a national sample of police agencies2025
  2. 2Concerning, but do we need policy reform? An experimental analysis of public reactions to accurate statistics on deaths caused by police officers and medical professionals2026
  3. 3Mortality Classification for Deaths that Follow the Use of Non-Firearm Force by Police: A National Cross-Sectional Study (United States, 2012-2021)2024
  4. 4Causes of Death in the Presence of Law Enforcement in Johnson County, Iowa, 2011–20202024
  5. 5Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government2024