Calling for the Accurate Reporting of Deaths in Police Custody to Address Disparities Affecting the Black Community

WHEREAS, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ("NAACP") is steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding civil rights and ensuring justice and transparency within law enforcement practices; and 

WHEREAS, The NAACP has supported the Death in Custody Act, enacted in 2013 to require reporting on deaths in police custody; and WHEREAS, Compliance on data collection regarding deaths in police custody at the state and federal level has been inconsistent; and WHEREAS, The effect of deaths while in police custody has a continued traumatizing effect on individuals across the country, elevating concerns within multiple units of the NAACP; and 

WHEREAS, Disparities in deaths in police custody disproportionately affect the Black community, leading to significant impacts on this community due to insufficient data that hampers efforts to address and rectify systemic injustices; and 

WHEREAS, The absence of standardized data collection on deaths in police custody obscures the understanding of their prevalence and circumstances, thus hindering advocacy and policy reform efforts aimed at reducing these incidents; and 

WHEREAS, Instituting a specific designation on death certificates to record deaths occurring in police custody would provide essential data for monitoring and addressing the causes and patterns of such deaths; and 

WHEREAS, Comprehensive and publicly accessible data on deaths in police custody are critical for holding law enforcement accountable and for informing effective policing reforms. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP advocates for the implementation of a mandatory specific designation on death certificates to indicate deaths occurring in police custody, ensuring consistent and transparent data collection. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls on state and federal legislators to enact laws requiring that all medical examiners and coroners accurately report this data as part of their official duties. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports the creation of detailed, publicly accessible annual reports on deaths in police custody, compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice and corresponding state agencies, to foster accountability and facilitate informed public discourse and policy making. 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP commits to collaborate with civil rights, public health, mental/behavioral health, and law enforcement organizations to promote the use of this data in developing strategies to prevent deaths in police custody and to ensure that all communities, especially those disproportionately affected, are treated with fairness and respect by law enforcement agencies.