The Boston Globe - 31.07.2019

A8 Region/World The Boston Globe WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019

the department’s holding cells,
waiting to make bail or appear
in court.
But other police chiefs say
they feel overwhelmed and un-
prepared to safeguard suspects
with drug issues who end up in
their custody. Search policies al-
so limit their ability to confis-
cate drugs that suspects may be
hiding — making it difficult, po-
lice say, to prevent an overdose.
“We just don’t have the peo-
ple to screen them on a mental
health basis or an addiction ba-
sis, unless the person is honest
with us that they just shot up,”
said Weston Police Chief Mi-
chael Goulding. “What are we
going to do?”
Natick Police Chief James
Hicks said his officers carry
Narcan, which can reverse an
opioid overdose, and watch sus-
pects in the department’s hold-
ing cell. But the care and pro-
tection of people addicted to
opioids “is not our expertise,”
he said.
“You do your regular rounds
of checks, but something can
happen in 10 minutes,” Hicks
said.
Boston police say the inter-
nal affairs and homicide units
are investigating how Stilphen
died, hours after he was arrest-
ed for allegedly breaking into a
car.
Cox believes her son, who
was 28 and struggled with her-
oin addiction, overdosed on po-
lice watch. Police say an official
cause of death has not been de-
termined.
In May, a 39-year-old man
died in the same police station
in the South End after he was
arrested on a warrant from
New Hampshire. His name has
not been released, but police
say he was alone in his cell and
there were no signs of trauma
on his body.
Law enforcement officials
say that although deaths in cus-
tody must be reported to the lo-
cal district attorney, they are
rarely made public because
overdoses and suicides are con-
sidered private matters, not
criminal acts.
“Any death that occurs in the
custody of a law enforcement
agency will be thoroughly re-
viewed and we will provide the
public with information as we
receive it, if appropriate,” said
Renee Algarin, a spokeswoman
for Suffolk District Attorney Ra-
chael Rollins. “We balance our
responsibilities to the public
with our responsibilities to the
deceased and their family, who
have a right to privacy as they
grieve their loved one’s death.”
Advocatesarguethatthe
deaths, even without personal
information, should be report-
ed publicly so they can be
tracked as a public health issue.
“If people are dying in police
custody, and dying for reasons
that are preventable, and not
beingkeptsafe,thenthetax-
payers and the Legislature
should know that so we can im-
prove the system,” Matos said.
She and others said they are
concerned that police may not
be responding humanely to sus-
pects in the throes of a drug cri-
sis.
“The expectation is they’re
going to be physically suffering,
and the worry is that can lead
people to overlook, disregard,
or not care about the physical
anguish of people in jails and
prisons,” said Matthew Segal,
legal director of the American
Civil Liberties Union of Massa-
chusetts.
He pointed to the case of
Madelyn Linsenmeir, a 30-year-
old Vermont woman who strug-
gled for years with opioid ad-

uDEATHS
Continued from Page A

diction. Springfield police ar-

rested her on outstanding

warrants on Sept. 29, 2018, a

day after Linsenmeir texted her

mother, “I need to go to the hos-

pital I am dying I weigh 90

pounds mom I need you.”

While she was being booked,

officers refused her pleas for

medical attention, according to

a lawsuit that the ACLU filed on

behalf of the Linsenmeir family.

An officer who was on the

phone when Linsenmeir called

her mother, Maureen, from the

police station “even made a sar-

castic comment,” when the

mother expressed concern that

her daughter was being denied

medical care, the lawsuit states.

Linsenmeir died Oct. 7,

2018, after she was transferred

to the custody of the Hampden

County sheriff’s department

and then rushed to the hospital.

A medical examiner’s report

found the cause was complica-

tions from a staph infection.

“There’s no excuse for how

Madelyn Linsenmeir was treat-

ed, and that’s why we’re con-

tinuing to investigate on behalf

of the family,” Segal said.

The Boston Police Depart-

ment rule book requires officers

to treat people in their custody

“in a fair and humane manner.”

Suspects must be checked

for cuts and bruises and taken

to the hospital if they are sick or

injured. Those who are uncon-

scious should be roused, and

“any unusual appearance or be-

havior... shall receive immedi-

ate attention,” the book states.

Belts, shoelaces, and other

items that could be used for sui-

cide must be confiscated, and

suspects must be searched for

drugs and weapons. A strip

search is allowed only if officers

have probable cause to believe

the person is hiding weapons or

drugs.

Suspects held in a cell must

be checked every 15 minutes.

Boston police would only

speak generally about their

handling of suspects with drug

issues, with a spokesman, Ser-

geant Detective John Boyle,

saying, “If someone complains

of medical issues, EMS is called

and they’re brought to a hospi-

tal or treatment facility.”

In Middlesex County, 54 po-

lice chiefs have endorsed legis-

lation that would create a re-

gional lockup facility where

suspects could be brought after

they are booked. The facility

would be run by Middlesex

Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian,

whose staff includes round-the-

clock mental health and medi-

cal professionals.

Koutoujian said his depart-

ment can verify prescriptions,

check medical records, and

contact medical providers. And

his staff is trained, he said, to

oversee a “medically managed

withdrawal” and initiate treat-

ment with Suboxone or other

medication.

“This is not what police do,”

Koutoujian said. “This is not

what police should do. Police

should be back on the street pa-

trolling neighborhoods, not

watching somebody in lockup.”

Goulding, the Weston police

chief, agreed that protecting

people with substance use dis-

order in a holding cell is not his

officers’ primary function.

“The Middlesex sheriff’s de-

partment, they have better fa-

cilities and better staffing

meant to handle these types of

people. We don’t,” he said. “It’s

not doing our officers any good,

and it’s not doing them any

good. They need to be in a place

with resources.”

Michael Levenson can be

reached at michael.levenson@

globe.com

Addicts vulnerable

in holding cells

DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF

Lynnel Cox went to the Suffolk district attorney’s office
with pictures of her son, who died in police custody.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON — Britain’s prime

minister, Boris Johnson, visited

Wales Tuesday on a national

tour to reassure voters his push

to leave the European Union

‘‘come what may’’ won’t hurt

the economy and rip apart the

United Kingdom.

The move failed to persuade

currency markets: The pound

slid to a 28-month low amid ris-

ing concerns there will be a cha-

otic no-deal Brexit.

A day after Johnson was

booed in Scotland, he faced an-

other tough reception from

farmers — a group central to

the Welsh economy — who fear

economic havoc if Britain

leaves the EU without a divorce

deal. They say millions of sheep

might have to be slaughtered if

tariffs are slapped on lamb ex-

ports to the EU.

After visiting a south Wales

poultry farm, Johnson said that

his Conservative government

would support farmers if their

markets become ‘‘tricky.’’

‘‘We will look after the farm-

ing sector,’’ he said. ‘‘We will

make sure that they have the

support that they need.’’

But the president of the Na-

tional Farmers’ Union, Minette

Batters, said Britain exports 40

percent of its lamb and mutton,

most of it to EU nations. ‘‘[If]

we’re tariffed out of the EU

market, where does that 40 per-

cent go?’’ she said.

Helen Roberts of the Nation-

al Sheep Association accused

Johnson of playing ‘‘Russian

roulette’’ with agriculture.

Johnson’s government ar-

gues leaving the 28-nation trad-

ing bloc and its Common Agri-

cultural Policy will be ‘‘a histor-

ic opportunity to introduce new

schemes to support farming’’

and will open up new markets

for UK agricultural exports.

The government’s Wales sec-

retary, Alun Cairns, said that

‘‘90 percent of global growth

willcomefromoutsideofthe

EU.’’ However, trade with the

EU accounts for almost half of

all British exports, and any new

trade deals are years away.

The Welsh trip followed

Johnson’s visit Monday to Scot-

land, where he was booed by

protesters and warned by First

Minister Nicola Sturgeon his

vow to take Britain out of the

EU on Oct. 31, with or without

a divorce deal, was ‘‘dangerous.’’

Britain’s 2016 vote to leave

the EU divided the country and

strained the bonds between the

four nations that make up the

UK: England, Scotland, Wales,

and Northern Ireland. A major-

ity of voters in England and

Wales backed leaving; Scotland

and Northern Ireland voted to

remain. In Parliament last

week, a Scottish National Party

lawmaker, Ian Blackford, mock-

ingly welcomed Johnson as

‘‘the last prime minister of the

United Kingdom.’’

Johnson also plans to visit

Northern Ireland, the only part

of the UK to share a land border

with the EU. The status of that

currently invisible frontier with

the Republic of Ireland has be-

come the main stumbling block

to a Brexit deal.

The pound has fallen sharp-

ly in recent days as businesses

warn no amount of preparation

can eliminate the economic

damage if Britain crashes out of

the EU trading bloc without a

Brexit deal. The currency fell

early Tuesday to $1.2120, its

lowest value since March 2017.

Johnson became prime min-

ister last week after winning a

Conservative Party leadership

contest by promising the pro-

Brexit party membership that

the UK will leave the EU on the

scheduled date of Oct. 31, with

or without a divorce deal.

The EU struck a withdrawal

agreement with Johnson’s pre-

decessor, Theresa May, but it

was rejected by Parliament.

Johnson insists the bloc make

major changes, including

scrapping an insurance policy

for the Irish border that has

been rejected by lawmakers.

Neither side appears to be back-

ing down.

By Pamela Constable

WASHINGTON POST

KABUL — Two American

service members were shot

dead and a third wounded

Monday in a rare ‘‘insider’’ at-

tack when an Afghan soldier

opened fire on a group of Amer-

ican forces at a military base in

a conflict-torn region of south-

ern Kandahar province, Afghan

defense and police officials said

Tuesday.

US military officials here

confirmed that two American

troops had been killed but did

not provide any details or iden-

tify the victims, saying they

needed to wait until their fami-

lies were notified. A statement

from the US Resolute Support

mission here said only that two

service members had died.

According to Afghan offi-

cials, the shooter was wounded

in return fire and taken into Af-

ghan military custody. It was

the first known incident, also

known as a ‘‘green on blue’’ at-

tack, since November, when

Brent Taylor, a major in the

Utah National Guard and the

mayor of a town in Utah, was

killed by an Afghan soldier in

Kabul.

A spokesman for the Afghan

Defense Ministry, Fawad Aman,

confirmed that the attack had

occurred on an army base in

the Shah Wali Kot district of

Kandahar. ‘‘The soldier who

fired on them has been wound-

ed in a subsequent firing,’’ he

said in a brief telephone inter-

view early Tuesday. A police of-

ficial in Shah Wali Kot also con-

firmed the incident had taken

place,accordingto theBBC.

Other media outlets reported

that American military officials

in the United States had con-

firmed the basic facts, speaking

on condition of anonymity be-

cause they were not authorized

to release the information.

According to one media re-

port, members of the US Army’s

Third Brigade Combat team,

82nd Airborne Division, posted

a Facebook tribute to their slain

comrades but did not identify

them.

No information was imme-

diately available about the

shooter except that he was an

Afghan army soldier. In past

‘‘green on blue’’ incidents, the

attackers have included both

bona fide Afghan troops who

were angry, disgruntled, or in-

fluenced by Taliban propagan-

da, and insurgent infiltrators

who enlisted to attack and sab-

otage foreign forces.

Insider attacks have been a

problem for American forces in

Afghanistan over the past de-

cade, peaking in 2012 with sev-

eral high-profile incidents. But

they declined significantly after

US military officials began plac-

ing ‘‘guardian angel’’ forces in

the battlefield, Afghan security

officials improved vetting of re-

cruits, and a major US troop

drawdown began in 2014. A to-

tal of 2,400 US troops have

been killed in the 18-year con-

flict.

Meanwhile, the UN mission

said in a report released Tues-

day that more civilians were

killed by Afghan and interna-

tional coalition forces in Af-

ghanistan in the first half of this

year than by the Taliban and

other militants.

The report apparently refers

to civilians killed during Af-

ghan and US military opera-

tions against insurgents, such

as airstrikes and night raids on

militant hideouts. Insurgents

often hide among civilians.

The UN report said 403 civil-

ians were killed by Afghan forc-

es in the first six months of the

year and another 314 by inter-

national forces, a total of 717.

That’s compared to 531 killed

by the Taliban, an Islamic State

affiliate, and other militants

during the same period.

Material from the Associated

Press was used in this report.

By Edward Wong

and Eric Schmitt

NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON — Lawmak-

ers in Congress from both polit-

ical parties have accused the

Trump administration of delay-

ing an $8 billion sale of F-

fighter jets to Taiwan, the self-

governing democratic island off

the coast of China that is sup-

ported by the United States.

Chinese officials have said

they object strongly to the sale

of 66 jets requested by Taiwan,

which would be by far the larg-

est such purchase by its govern-

ment in many years. Lawmak-

ers are now questioning wheth-

er the Trump administration is

delaying approval of the sale,

either to avoid upsetting Bei-

jing while delicate trade negoti-

ations are underway or to use it

as a bargaining chip.

Any such move by the ad-

ministration would ignite in-

tense bipartisan opposition in

Congress.

“Our support for Taiwan

through arms transfers is not

up for negotiation with Bei-

jing,” Representative Michael

McCaul of Texas, the top Re-

publican on the House Foreign

Affairs Committee, told The

New York Times on Monday.

“I will support the sale of F-

16s to Taiwan as soon as the

State Department notices them

to our committee, which I ex-

pect to happen soon,” McCaul

said.

Senator Robert Menendez of

New Jersey, the top Democrat

on the Senate Foreign Relations

Committee, said the Trump ad-

ministration “is possibly ob-

structing the sale of F-16 fight-

er jets to Taiwan so the presi-

dent can use them as leverage

in his failing trade war with

China.”

“Taiwan’s defense cannot be

a bargaining chip to be cashed

in for a smile from China’s dic-

tatorship,” Menendez said

Monday.

Treasury Secretary Steven

Mnuchin and Robert Lighthiz-

er, the US trade representative,

arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday

to meet with Chinese negotia-

tors. President Trump and Pres-

ident Xi Jinping of China

agreed to restart talks during a

meeting on June 29 in Osaka,

Japan.

In Twitter posts Tuesday,

Trump criticized China and

said it should enter a deal now.

“We have all the cards,” he said.

Lawmakers who oversee for-

eign policy in Congress had ex-

pected the State Department to

sign off on the fighter jet sales

by last week, before the House

went on recess. But Secretary of

State Mike Pompeo has not yet

approved the official notifica-

tion to allow the sales to move

forward. The Senate leaves

Washington on Friday and Con-

gress is not scheduled to return

until Sept. 9.

A Senate aide described hes-

itation by administration offi-

cials to move forward with the

sales “in light of the ongoing ne-

gotiations with China.”

Jeff Emerson, a spokesman

for the trade representative,

said Lighthizer had not sug-

gested delaying the arms sales

or offered it as a bargaining

chip in the trade talks.

The State Department de-

clined to comment on the pro-

posed arms sales. The Treasury

Department and White House

National Security Council also

declined to comment.

After Presidents Richard

Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy

Carter decided to normalize re-

lations with China, Congress

passed the Taiwan Relations

Act of 1979 to set guidelines for

nondiplomatic relations with

Taiwan. The act requires the

United States “to provide Tai-

wan with arms of a defensive

character.”

China insists Taiwan is part

of its territory and Beijing has

for years objected to the sales.

That has prompted the United

States to try to draw as little at-

tention to the arms purchases

as possible by approving them

in intermittent batches. Taiwan

has had a longstanding request

for new F-16s, which has pro-

voked especially vehement ob-

jections from Beijing, given

that the jets could be used to

bomb mainland China.

Some Trump administration

officials have taken hard-line

stands against China based on

national security concerns.

Others have argued that main-

taining stable economic ties

with Beijing is more important.

Prime minister stumps for a fast Brexit

Poundslumpsas

hetoursnation

ADRIAN DENNIS/POOL PHOTO VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prime Minister Boris Johnson inspected farmer Matt Shervington-Jones’s egg operation

during a visit to south Wales Tuesday to help drum up support for Johnson’s Brexit plan.

Afghan soldier kills 2 US service members

Onehurt,alleged

attackerheld

Congress questions delay of Taiwan arms sale

‘Taiwan’sdefense

cannotbea

bargainingchipto

becashedinfora

smilefromChina’s

dictatorship.’

SENATOR ROBERT

MENENDEZof New Jersey, the

top Democrat on the Senate

Foreign Relations Committee