Inquest recommends sobering centre after B.C. jail death

A coroner's inquest into the death of a First Nations man in B.C. police custody has recommended the province open a sobering centre for those arrested for public intoxication and changes to how police check on those in custody.

Randy Dale Lampreau, a member of the Bonaparte First Nation, died in a Kamloops RCMP holding cell on March 13, 2019, after being arrested for public intoxication the previous night.

B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) concluded that Lampreau died from inflammation in his heart muscles, which can cause sudden death. It also said methamphetamine toxicity was another contributing factor, and the levels in his system were "in the lethal range."

While the IIO cleared the police of involvement in Lampreau's death, a coroner's inquest, which wrapped up this weekend, recommended that Kamloops RCMP update their protocols for checking on people in custody.

The recommendations call on the Ministry of Health to open a sobering centre in the city so that people arrested for public intoxication are not placed in custody. They also ask for measures to assess prisoners' conditions if they fall and injure themselves inside cells, including visually checking if they are breathing in order to see if they are alive.

"Hire and sufficiently staff RCMP Kamloops detachment jail cell block with health-care professionals, including registered nurses, to assess that prisoners are medically suitable to be placed in cells," reads another recommendation from the inquest jury.

The jury also recommended that Kamloops RCMP hire an Indigenous liaison to help communicate with Indigenous people who are incarcerated and regularly conduct drills for emergency situations.

Recommendations from coroner's inquests are not legally binding. They serve to determine the facts of death and make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.

In Lampreau's case, the jury found that his death was accidental.

Kamloops RCMP Superintendent Jeff Pelley told CBC News that the police have a number of strict protocols regarding monitoring those in custody, and they would continue to follow those protocols.

He welcomed the recommendations for a sobering centre in the city, saying it would free up police resources to investigate actual crimes.

"The police being called for these types of interventions, and us caring for these individuals till that they are completely sober, is not an appropriate thing to pursue," he said.

IIO investigation cleared officers

An IIO report into Lampreau's death said that he was arrested for public intoxication and taken to holding cells at the Kamloops RCMP detachment on March 12, 2019.

A civilian cell guard who came on duty around midnight said Lampreau was already in custody when he clocked in. He began regularly checking on the 49-year-old and others in custody.

Around 1 a.m. PT, the guard said he saw Lampreau sway and fall backwards onto the cell floor. When he checked in on Lampreau, the guard said Lampreau rolled onto his side and told him he was fine. 

Two hours later, according to the report, Lampreau was seen to lie down in his cell, and the guard assumed he was "sleeping it off."

The guard checked on the man's condition every 15 minutes after that, according to the report. However, around 6 a.m. PT, before a shift change, he realized he had not moved in some time.

Paramedics were then called to check on Lampreau, but he later died. The IIO cleared officers and the cell guard of being responsible for the death.

Lampreau's sister, Regina Basil, welcomed the recommendations as a step in the right direction after her brother's death and reiterated a call for qualified health-care professionals to look after people in custody instead of cell guards.

"If they drag their heels, I'm not going away. I'll just let you know that," she said, when asked whether authorities would follow through on the recommendations. "It's a fight in honour of my brother and other people so they don't go through this.

"You got to fix the wrongs. It's just for future, you know? For your family, for my family, for everybody's family."