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Civil rights Keyed to Jeffries, 5th Ed.
City of Canton, Ohio v. Harris
Citation:
489 U.S. 378 (1989)Facts
In April 1978, Geraldine Harris was arrested by officers of the Canton Police Department and transported to the police station. Upon arrival, she was found sitting on the floor of the patrol wagon and responded incoherently when asked if she needed medical attention. During processing, Harris slumped to the floor twice, after which officers left her lying on the floor to prevent further falls. Despite her condition, no medical attention was summoned during her approximately one-hour detention. After her release, Harris’s family provided an ambulance that took her to a hospital where she was diagnosed with emotional ailments, requiring one week of hospitalization and a year of outpatient treatment. Evidence at trial revealed that Canton had a municipal regulation authorizing shift commanders to determine, in their sole discretion, whether a detainee required medical care. These commanders received no special training beyond basic first aid to make such determinations. Harris sued the city under § 1983, claiming the city violated her Fourteenth Amendment due process right to receive necessary medical attention while in police custody.
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