Texas-man-dies-after-shooting-himself-in-back-police-car-while-handcuffed. Opps. That about covers it.Austin PD was transporting a shoplifter, who also had a number of warrants out for his arrest. The suspect recovered a handgun that he pointed at his head. He later demonstrated that the suicide threat was no idle boast and carried it out. Well done!

Internal affairs will be picking at this one for a while because there are a number of questions unanswered. In a shoplifting arrest the transporting officer usually has nothing to do with the arrest. The arrest is carried out by store employees, private security, police officers with another agency or the officers from the transporting officer’s agency. The suspect may have been custody a matter of minutes on up to an hour. Every suspect is searched by every officer that takes control of him. In this instance, it looks like two blown searches.

Suspects are usually transported with their hands handcuffed behind their back. With female prisoners they will remain handcuffed only if they want to be handcuffed. More than a few female prisoners have handed me my handcuffs at the jail. Wiry males can get the cuffs around in front but I never had one slip the cuffs off. Yes, I have also transported prisoners unhandcuffed with a Big Mac in one hand and a Coke in the other, but not as a one man transport.

I can see several potential policy violations in the events recounted. ‘m not sure I see a civil rights violation or “wrongful death” scenario that will offer the departed’s family a shot at the ghetto lottery. He was unlawfully carrying a firearm and had an obligation to bring that to the officer’s attention. Had he made it to the jail the charge would have been upped to Introducing a firearm into a penal institution. The suspect was the sole determiner when he took his own life.

What do you say to a suicide? “Good luck” seems a little cynical. “Bon Voyage” seems flippant. Oh well, “Happy trails to you…”