{"data":{"id":"us-dc/d.c.-code-5-1431.01","jurisdiction":"us-dc","citation":"D.C. Code § 5-1431.01","heading":"Establishment and duties.","body":"(a)\nThere is established a Violence Fatality Review Committee (\"Committee\") within the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (\"OCME\").  The OCME shall provide facilities, staffing, and other administrative support for the Committee.\n\n(b)\nThe Committee shall evaluate homicides and suicides.\n\n(c)\nThe Committee's duties shall include:\n(1)\nIdentifying and characterizing the scope and nature of homicides and suicides;\n(2)\nCoordinating with other District fatality review entities to minimize duplication of efforts;\n(3)\nDescribing and recording any data or patterns that are observed surrounding homicides and suicides;\n(4)\nPerforming a retrospective review of socioeconomic determinant risk and protective factors surrounding homicides and suicides;\n(5)\nDeveloping and revising, as necessary, operating rules and procedures for review of homicides and suicides, including identification of cases to be reviewed, establishment of sub-committees as necessary, and improvement of the identification, data collection, and record keeping of the causes of homicides and suicides;\n(6)\nRecommending systemic improvements to prevent and respond to homicides and suicides;\n(7)\nRecommending policies for improved access to employment, healthcare, mental and behavioral healthcare, housing, and education programs; and\n(8)\nRecommending training to improve the prevention of homicides and suicides and to identify risk factors and develop protective factors in the individual, family, and community response to violence.\n(d)\n(1)\nBy July 1 of each year, the Committee shall make publicly available and submit to the Council and Mayor an annual report of its findings, recommendations, and steps taken to evaluate the implementation of past recommendations, which includes the following information:\n(A)\nA description of the causes of and contributing factors to the homicides and suicides the Committee reviewed during the preceding calendar year;\n(B)\nA description of the state of homicides and suicides, including statistics; and\n(C)\nRecommendations for systemic changes and legislation relating to the prevention of homicides and suicides.\n(2)\nIf a recommendation in the annual report is directed at a particular subordinate agency, the head of the subordinate agency shall respond in writing to the Committee within 30 days after the issuance of the annual report, describing the subordinate agency's plans to address the recommendation.\n(3)\nThe annual report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not contain any personally identifiable information but may include aggregated data.\n\n(e)\nFor the purposes of this section, the phrase \"homicides and suicides\" means homicides and suicides of a person 19 years of age or older:\n(1)\nThat occurs in the District; or\n(2)\nIs of District residents, regardless of the place of death.","path":["Title 5. Police, Firefighters, Medical Examiner, and Forensic Sciences.","Chapter 14A. Fatality Review Committee."],"source_url":"https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-1431.01","current_through":"2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-29T05:44:07Z","sha256":"4332a98241aa59cef4932de8f492e0c052167e98cc28c0f3dade5a996e166a96","source_id":"us-dc","stale":false,"prev":"us-dc/d.c.-code-5-1420","next":"us-dc/d.c.-code-5-1431.02"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}