Important practical takeaways for officers on how best to deal with subjects in the throes of excited delirium are included in a recently published book on forensic medicine—and well worth roll call review, considering that these volatile encounters are expected to increase in the days ahead. The recommendations stress the critical importance of getting highly...Read More
A lawsuit filed recently in the 9th federal circuit hinges on ADA considerations that may resonate with many agencies. In this case (LaDue v. City of Talent, et al.), a subject with a history of schizophrenia smoked a “synthetic cannabinoid” product and then later died in the throes of excited delirium during a confrontation with...Read More
A Canadian anesthesiologist has attempted to revive the controversy about alleged risks associated with the prone positioning of arrestees, only to draw an emphatic rebuke from a team of experts on the subject. The physician is Alain Michaud, affiliated with a hospital in Roberval, Quebec. In published correspondence to the Journal of Forensic and Legal...Read More
Preliminary results from a new, ongoing study tend to support a growing trend in the management of dangerous subjects in the throes of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS). The findings should be part of the dialog if you are working on a joint law enforcement/EMS protocol for addressing this perplexing problem, as recommended in Force Science...Read More
A research team led by Force Science faculty member Dr. Christine Hall has brought to light the first reliable statistics in another shadowy and controversial area: the frequency of forceful contact between police and subjects displaying signs of excited delirium syndrome (ExDS). With five associates, Hall, an emergency medicine specialist and ExDS authority based in...Read More
After the recent incident in Miami, where an attacker chewed flesh off of the face of a homeless man before being shot dead by police, Canadian officials have announced plans to make the active ingredient in so-called “bath salts” illegal. And Miami authorities have warned officers to be “extremely cautious” around disorderly suspects who, like...Read More
With the symptoms and dangers of excited delirium now well-publicized and solidly confirmed by numerous research studies, agencies that fail to have a response protocol in place are inviting needless liability problems, according to a day-long presentation recently at a training seminar sponsored by the Illinois Tactical Officers Assn. “Usually administrators start to take notice...Read More
The scenario is one that’s often in the headlines and ultimately in the courts: A distraught and frightened family calls for help in controlling a mentally disturbed or suicidal relative. When cops respond, the confrontation escalates and the subject ends up injured or dead from police use of force. The family claims the force was...Read More
An exaggeration of the sudden in-custody death problem is generating “persecution and prosecution” of LEOs and their agencies and is resulting in “reactionary changes in policy and procedure that may well be based in conjecture rather than fact,” according to new findings by a Canadian research team. In particular the study group challenges the widely...Read More
An international panel of experts, including 2 MDs involved in Force Science training, has recommended a 4-step protocol as offering the best hope for a successful outcome when dealing with suspected cases of excited delirium. Already in use by some progressive departments in the US and Canada, the endorsed procedures should serve as “models for...Read More
