Policy Text
08.06 .0 PURPOSE
The purpose of this general order i s to establish policies and procedures for
investigating natural, unnatural, and accidental deaths.
08.06 .1 POLICY
It shall be the policy of the Concord Police Department to thoroughly investigate deaths
that occur outside a medical facility or the presence of medical personnel. T his general
order establishes minimum uniform procedures to be followed by officers during the
preliminary inv estigation of all death s. It is not the intent to itemize every step to be
conduct ed during a death investigation.
08.06 .2 DEFINITIONS
A. ACCIDENTAL
A death resulting from an unusual event that was unanticipated by everyone
involved. The death was not intended, expected, or foreseeable.
B. HOMICIDE
The killing of one human being by another human being.
C. MEDICALLY ATTENDED DEATH
A death that is attended by a physician or other medical personnel at the time the
subject died.
D. NATURAL DEATH
A death th at occurs from natural causes, such as disease or old age .
E. SUICIDE
The intentional taking of one's own life.
CONCORD POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
NATURAL , UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
GENERAL ORDER: 08.06 CREATED: December 1, 2000 ISSUE DATE: October 9, 2025
CALEA STANDARD S:
NCLEA STANDARDS: EFFECTIVE DATE: October 16, 2025
ACTION: Amends genera l order dated October 1, 2022.
General Order 08.06 NATURAL, UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS Page 2 of 3
F. UNNATURAL DEATH
A death caused by external causes (e.g., injury or poisoning) which includes death
due to intentional injury, suc h as homicide or suicide, and death caused by
unintentional injury in an accidental manner .
08.06 .3 PROCEDURES
A. The responding officer should immediately assess the death as a possible homicide,
suicide, accidental or natural/ medically attended deat h and notify the district
sergeant or watch commander .
B. In incidents of homicide, suicide, accidental or deaths of a suspicious nature the
district sergeant or watch commander shall respond to the scene , thus taking
command of the incident .
C. For a death that appears to be of natural causes but is outside of a medical facility
and without the presence of medical personnel, attempts shall be made by law
enforcement and emergency medical personnel to contact the current physician .
The physici an will have the option to sign the death certificate as a medical death.
D. In the event the subject’s current physician refuse s to sign off on the death or is
unable to be located , the nursing supervisor on duty at Atrium Health Cabarrus
should be contacted . The officer should provide information that the death appears
to be medical or natural at which time the nursing supervisor will have the option to
sign the death certificate.
E. In instances of homicide, suicide, acci dental (to include over dose) or death under
what is deemed to be suspicio us circumstances , the responding district sergeant, or
watch commander, shall contact the on -call supervisor . In these cases, the
appropriate investigators and forensic unit coworkers shall respond.
F. After the on-call supervisor has been notified and is en route , the scene of the
death shall be secured to protect its integrity , and the Incident/Investigation Report
shall be completed .
G. In any instance where a juvenile (unde r the age of 18) has di ed outside of a
medical facility, the on -call supervisor shall be notified , and the appropriate
investigators and forensic unit coworkers shall respond .
H. Upon the arrival of investigative coworkers to the scene of a homicide, suicide,
accidental or su spicious/undetermined death, they will assume control of the
investigation . If requested, patrol units will remain on scene until the time when
security of the scene is no longer needed.
I. Following the completio n of the death i nvestigation, the Death Investigation Module
shall be completed as part of the incident report in the records management
system. In an event where forensic unit coworkers investigated the scene , the
forensic unit coworkers shall complete the report . Otherwise , the report shall be
completed by the responding patrol officer.
General Order 08.06 NATURAL, UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS Page 3 of 3
08.06 .4 SCENE PRESERVATION
A. The first officer on the scene is responsible for the preservation of the scene
regardless of the manner of death. Make every effort to maintain the crime scene
in the same physical condition as the suspect left it , and document the names of all
responding personnel by recording who goes in and out of the scene . This should
be documented on the Crime Scene Log (Form CS -3).
B. Responding officers should ensure that there are no victims within the crime scene
requiring assistance .
C. In order to minimize any disturbance to potential evidence, EMS personnel shall be
guided to the victim by taking the least evidence destroying path possible.
D. Except under emergency circumstances, coworkers should never touch, change, or
alter anything until it