PLENTY TO CONSIDER AFTER INQUEST

Police Cleared, but Lessons to Be Learned Following In-Custody Death

A jury ruled last Friday that the 2008 in-custody death of an
Abbotsford woman was accidental, and following the decision made
several recommendations to the Abbotsford Police Department, the City
of Abbotsford and Fraser Health to prevent deaths of this type from
occurring again.

Christine Bernadette Miller, 39, was pronounced dead in the early
hours of Aug. 8, 2008 after being rushed to Matsqui-Sumas-Abbotsford
General Hospital following her arrest and incarceration in an APD
holding cell the previous afternoon.

An autopsy revealed Miller died after ingesting a toxic mixture of
codeine, acetaminophen, ethanol, diphenhydramine and diazepam that,
according to reports, she had hidden in her bra.

Const. Ian MacDonald said Miller was booked into cells, but a search
by officers did not reveal the drugs.

According to reports, she took those drugs while in custody, and the
mix of drugs with the ethanol already in her system led to her death.

Miller was arrested after police received a 911 call shortly after 6
p.m. Aug. 8, 2008 regarding her condition.

"The person who phoned wasn't quite sure if she needed help or not,
but felt that [Miller] was intoxicated," MacDonald said.

Police checked on Miller in the hours following her arrest, but were
not aware she had ingested anything until her condition suddenly worsened.

Recommendations by the jury to the department included developing a
more intensive training program regarding prisoner searches.

In circumstances where prisoners are known, or suspected to have
ingested drugs and/or alcohol, they should be physically assessed
every two hours until the responsible officer is satisfied they are
recovering, the jury stated.

Guards should be instructed and trained to accurately record the state
of prisoners following physical checks, which should be performed
every 15 minutes.

MacDonald said the inquest's results were cold comfort for the
department.

"We don't take a lot of solace in the fact that ultimately [Miller's
death] was ruled accidental because it's a still a tragedy for the
family."

The jury also recommended Fraser Health Authority and the City of
Abbotsford consider developing a sobering centre, similar to the $22
million Creekside Health and Housing Centre being readied for
construction in Surrey.

The centre is part of Surrey's crime-reduction strategy, and would
allow officers and first responders not to have to take drunk or
intoxicated individuals to hospital or jail, as long they haven't
committed any other crime.

"It's a sad state when police officers become frontline mental health,
or detox workers," Abbotsford Mayor George Peary said.

"They're not trained for that. Sadly, [police] are the last resort and
people who are inebriated often end up in our - what is
euphemistically called 'the drunk tank' - they are cells, and pretty
Spartan."

Peary said he would be petitioning Fraser Health to develop a facility
in Abbotsford where medical care can be given as opposed to police
care.

Fraser Health offers a continuum of services in mental health and
addictions, and recognizes that sobering centres can be a component of
that continuum, health authority spokeswoman Joan Marshall said.

"We certainly support anything that makes community health better,"
she said. According to the BC Coroners Service, 267 people died in
custody or in police-related deaths between 1992 and 2007 in B.C., for
an average of 18 deaths a year. Of those 267, 23 are categorized as
'Undetermined,' 96 as 'Other,' and 77 as 'Police Custody -
Cell/Lockup.'