Latest news with #policecustody
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Recruitment opens for police custody scrutinisers in West Yorkshire
Members of the public are being invited to help protect the rights and welfare of people in police custody in West Yorkshire. The scheme, operated locally by Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, sees volunteer Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) make unannounced visits to custody suites to check on the dignity of detainees. ICVs are independent of the police service. Alison Lowe OBE, deputy mayor for policing and crime, said: "Independent custody visitors play a crucial role in checking that people in police cells are being looked after safely, with the right care and support. "It is important that independent safeguards are in place for those who are detained, and that they can expect a consistently high standard. "If you want to make a difference and become part of our incredible team, please get in touch." ICVs observe and report on the conditions of custody suites and check that detainees are being properly looked after. They also ensure detainees understand their rights and entitlements. Long-term volunteer Val said: "Being an ICV gives me an incredible sense of purpose." The scheme covers Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees, and Calderdale. Recruitment is open until Sunday, September 28, 2025. For more information, visit
CTV News
14-07-2025
- CTV News
Bronx family seeks answers after teen dies in police custody over the July Fourth weekend
A New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer at a subway station in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Stephanie Keith) NEW YORK — A New York City family is seeking answers after local authorities say a teenager died of an apparent suicide while in police custody over the Fourth of July weekend. Saniyah Cheatham, an 18-year-old Bronx resident, died by hanging herself in a holding cell at a Bronx police precinct, the city Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Monday. But a lawyer for Cheatham's family called on the agency to release its detailed findings and for police to release surveillance video of the police station and other information about her arrest and death. 'We don't know why she was arrested. We just know she's dead,' said Ben Crump, a Florida attorney who has represented the families of Michael Brown, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and other Black people killed by police nationally. Thomasina Cheatham said her daughter appeared happy at a family barbecue just hours earlier. 'I just want to know what happened,' she said during a news conference in front of the Bronx police station where Cheatham died. 'That was my only daughter.' The medical examiner's office, in an emailed response, said its findings were discussed with the teen's family and that the full autopsy report with all supporting documentation will be provided to them at a later date. Police, meanwhile, confirmed Cheatham had been arrested in connection with an assault but declined to answer follow-up questions Monday about the circumstances of the death. The agency said only that the incident is being reviewed by its force investigation division. Police previously said Cheatham was found unconscious around 12:30 a.m. on July 5 at the 41st Precinct stationhouse, which serves the Hunts Point and Longwood areas of the Bronx. The agency said at the time that officers performed CPR until emergency medical officials arrived and transported her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Associated Press
Associated Press
14-07-2025
- Associated Press
Bronx family seeks answers after teen dies in police custody over the July Fourth weekend
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City family is seeking answers after local authorities say a teenager died of an apparent suicide while in police custody over the Fourth of July weekend. Saniyah Cheatham, an 18-year-old Bronx resident, died by hanging herself in a holding cell at a Bronx police precinct, the city Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Monday. But a lawyer for Cheatham's family called on the agency to release its detailed findings and for police to release surveillance video of the police station and other information about her arrest and death. 'We don't know why she was arrested. We just know she's dead,' said Ben Crump, a Florida attorney who has represented the families of Michael Brown, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and other Black people killed by police nationally. Thomasina Cheatham said her daughter appeared happy at a family barbecue just hours earlier. 'I just want to know what happened,' she said during a news conference in front of the Bronx police station where Cheatham died. 'That was my only daughter.' The medical examiner's office, in an emailed response, said its findings were discussed with the teen's family and that the full autopsy report with all supporting documentation will be provided to them at a later date. Police, meanwhile, confirmed Cheatham had been arrested in connection with an assault but declined to answer follow-up questions Monday about the circumstances of the death. The agency said only that the incident is being reviewed by its force investigation division. Police previously said Cheatham was found unconscious around 12:30 a.m. on July 5 at the 41st Precinct stationhouse, which serves the Hunts Point and Longwood areas of the Bronx. The agency said at the time that officers performed CPR until emergency medical officials arrived and transported her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Sun
13-07-2025
- The Sun
I busted county lines gang that exports school kids like slaves…I've seen desperate kids leap from windows
AFTER bashing down the door to a drug den on the third floor of a tower block, police officers were surprised to see a window open and a burner phone on the ledge. One of the 17-year-old dealers using the gloomy property in Dunstable, Bedforshire had jumped 40ft in a bid to escape capture. 12 12 They were shocked to see the youngster survived the potentially fatal leap - but he didn't get away. The savvy officers were able to track him down and the mobile device led them to the kingpin behind an extensive county lines network. But a new episode of Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody, titled Lost Boys, reveals the fear of gangs that is driving children to such extreme actions. Gary Hales, an investigating officer from Bedfordshire Police's Boson guns and gangs unit at the time of the arrests, tells The Sun: 'When you are going into a top floor flat you don't expect someone to be jumping out of the window. "It was amazing he didn't break his legs. 'There is fear. A way the gangs keep these children street dealing is to threaten them and show a bit of force. 'When you are on a lower rung, you have the elders threatening you, you are around the knives, you are around the violence that goes on.' In the show, which airs on Sunday at 9pm, we see some of the messages sent to a 15-year-old boy called Gavin, not his real name, who has been roped in by the ruthless criminals. There are threats to stab his mum, including 'wil shank up u mum'. Officers believe that Gavin has been told he has a drug debt and constantly has to work to pay it off otherwise they will face violent consequences. They will be told, 'Where is the rest of the money? You had more drugs.' In fact the teenagers haven't lost any drugs, they are just being told they have in order to keep them in debt. Adult mob members recruit school children because they are less likely to be sent to prison due to their age. Gavin's mum has called the police in a desperate state, because he keeps going missing, sometimes for 10 days at a time. The police suspect he is being sent around various 'trap houses', an American term for a drug den, in different English counties. 'Saturated' Luton has become so 'saturated' with drug lines that dealers send children far afield. Gary says: 'In terms of drug lines there are over 100 listed that are Bedfordshire based. "But then you have county lines going to places like Essex and London trying to muscle in. 'Luton is exporting drug deal lines to places where they are not known to police. We have rescued children from Swindon. 'Drug lines in Luton are saturated, they are known to police.' Access to Gavin's phone leads the detectives to the flat in Dunstable which is part of a network selling class A drugs including crack cocaine. Inside the flat is a 14-year-old boy, who has also been recruited by the county lines gangs. The flat is rented by a 23-year-old former heroin addict who says he allows the dealers to use his property because he doesn't want 'to get my head kicked in'. He warns: 'Drugs get you involved with stupid people.' Criminal control 12 12 12 The pay as you go burner phone found on the window ledge has been topped up in various shops. By studying the CCTV of those businesses, the police are able to identify an adult higher up in the operation. When they arrest Jamal Andall in 2020 they find more burner phones and SIM cards in his home, plus crack rocks in his Ford Focus car. After being questioned, Andall is told he has been given bail and can go home. But the gangster says: 'I'm not walking home. It's not safe around here. I've been shot. I've been stabbed.' Remarkably, the police accede to his request and agree to drive him home. It's not safe around here. I've been shot. I've been stabbed Jamal Andall Andall and his fellow drug dealer Alex Anderson, both 30, became the first members of a county lines gang to be convicted of modern slavery offences by Bedfordshire Police. In February last year Andall was jailed for seven years for being concerned in the supply of heroin, with Anderson receiving six years and four months for the same offence. They were also sentenced to six years for exploitation and three years for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, but those will be served concurrently. The court heard that the two men trafficked a 15-year-old boy from Bedfordshire to Lowestoft in Suffolk, where officers found the boy with £3,000 worth of crack cocaine. Saving the 'lost boys' 12 12 12 Gary, though, says that 'there is always someone higher up', and that dealers keep finding new recruits. He says: 'They go to schools and care homes to slip them some cannabis and form a relationship with them. 'They might give you a top up for your phone, you'll think it's free, but nothing is free, there is going to be a pay day for that. 'They pull them into what is an organised crime group." The key to disrupting their business model is to stop children getting so entangled they don't think they can escape. A parent will notice a change in their child, whether they have got new clothes they can't afford or they are missing school Gary Hales He says: 'As a police force we are about protecting the community, and that means safeguarding these youngsters who have become dissociated and get pushed into these paths.' Bedfordshire police launched a Lost Boys campaign to inform parents, teachers and pupils about the warning signs. Gary says: 'Generally, a parent will notice a change in their child, whether they have got new clothes they can't afford or they are missing school.' If they can't be pulled back from the drugs underworld, the consequences can be fatal. As Gary points out: 'Many of the murders we see in towns like Luton are drug-related.' The lad who jumped out of the window was lucky - he might not be so fortunate next time. 24 Hours in Police Custody: Lost Boys, stream or watch live on Channel 4 from July 13 at 9pm. 12 12 12
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
NYPD investigating death of woman, 18, in police custody in Bronx precinct
The NYPD is investigating the death of an 18-year-old woman who fell unconscious while in police custody at a Bronx police station, cops said Saturday. The teen was inside the 41st Precinct stationhouse on Longwood Ave. at about 12:40 a.m. when she unexpectedly fell unconscious. Cops performed CPR until EMS rushed her to Lincoln Hospital, but she couldn't be saved. Her name was not immediately released. Police identified the woman as a 'prisoner,' but would not say what crime she was accused of committing. Since she was in police custody, the NYPD's Force Investigations Division has been tasked with investigating her death. An autopsy into what caused her death was pending Saturday. The young woman's death occurred nine days after the NYPD launched another investigation for a man who died during an interaction with police, cops said. Shelton Ennis, 54, struck his head and died of an apparent heart attack after he was tackled to the ground in Manhattan's Riverside Park, officials said. The officers found Ennis drinking a beer in a paper bag and had demanded to see his ID when he ran away from them, only to be taken down by one of the cops, police said.
