One result of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 was a resurgence of public interest in Elijah McClain’s death several days after he was given an overdose of ketamine during police contact. In the push for criminal justice reform, McClain’s name has become shorthand for police misconduct and the damage it can do. In this episode of Is This Legal? Russ and Colin examine the detention and death of McClain, the subsequent internal investigations of the incident by the Aurora Police Department, and talk about what lessons this tragedy may hold for all of us as we navigate police contact in our own lives.
For the full transcript, click here.