Stop deaths in police custody in Yeadon!

We demand a US Department of Justice investigation into the Yeadon Police Department in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. On July 5th, 2022, a 22-year old who was arrested on a marijuana charge in Yeadon, PA, died in police custody under questionable circumstances. The death was ruled a suicide, and after only three days of investigation, the police officers overseeing his custody were cleared of wrongdoing by the Delaware County District Attorney, a slap in the face to his family and this community. We have since uncovered a number of troubling factors that we do not believe the District Attorney of Delaware County or his subordinates ever reviewed. (1) countless policies of the Yeadon Police Department were violated, including record-keeping practices, intervention of a person in a mental health crisis, CPR training, and supervision of a prisoner. (2) There is footage from the cell video missing (over 30 minutes of what was approximately a 50 minute time period in total) and the excuses provided in haste have not explained this to a satisfactory level, (3) the appearance of Shawn calling out for help repeatedly in a facility where sound cannot be ignored, and (4) the appearance of Shawn directly communicating with someone off camera, before he begins the process of ending his life. Advocates, residents, and relatives of Shawn Morcho, the young man who died in Yeadon police custody, have been working tirelessly ever since to figure out what actually happened and how to ensure that something like this never happens again. We called for a Department of Justice investigation into the civil rights violations of Shawn Morcho, and we also called for a pattern and practice investigation, all in August of this year. We reviewed evidence in partnership with Shawn’s family, whose hearts will be broken for the rest of their lives. We have been going to meeting after meeting, where elected officials have been fighting rather than taking action. And then the worst possible fears were realized: what happened to Shawn happened again, and at this point, we have no faith this won’t continue to happen. A 34-year old woman in a clear and evident mental health crisis hung herself by her sports bra and was not discovered for twenty minutes by the officers in charge of her care. The only reason she continues to struggle for life is that she hung herself from a door knob rather than from the rafters, as Shawn did. One death in police custody is a vile tragedy. Two in four months is a public safety crisis. We need the United States Department of Justice to intervene so there is no more loss of life.