Opinion ID: 2972888
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Officer Simpson

Text: Plaintiff contends that Simpson acted with deliberate indifference to Bradley’s suicidal tendencies when he gave Bradley the blankets which Bradley later used to hang himself. (Appellee’s Brief at 39.) The facts surrounding Simpson’s involvement in this case reveal that upon hearing Bradley’s statement about the gun, Simpson reported the remark to the shift commander in accordance with Ferndale’s internal procedures. (J.A. at 51-52.) Although Simpson believed that Bradley had made the remark in jest, he reported it anyway just to be safe. (J.A. at 51.) This led to Bradley being flagged a possible suicide risk. (J.A. at 52.) In accordance with procedure, Simpson removed Bradley’s belt, jacket and other personal belongings before giving him two blankets and placing him in his cell. (J.A. at 203.) After placing Bradley in his cell, Simpson went back out on patrol. (J.A. at 52.) The above facts do not evidence a conscious disregard for Bradley’s safety. Upon hearing Bradley’s statement, Simpson reported it to his shift commander in accordance with Ferndale’s procedure. (J.A. at 51.) While it is true that Simpson gave Bradley the blankets, there is no evidence that he did so knowing that Bradley might attempt to hang himself. In fact, Simpson testified that prior to Bradley’s death, he had received no training on how to deal with suicidal prisoners at all. (J.A. at 194.) Finally, the decision to remove the blankets was a decision to be made by the officer in charge, not Simpson. (J.A. at 287-88.) The option for removing blankets from the cells of detainees suspected of harboring suicidal tendencies is found under Section II(B)(4)(g) of Article 7 of Ferndale’s Policies and Procedures. (J.A. at 288.) Section II (B)(4) of Article 7 provides that “the duty command officer may exercise one of the following alternatives” if his preliminary evaluation indicates a potential suicide. (J.A. at 287.) At no point does the plaintiff argue that Thomson ordered Simpson to remove the blankets from Bradley’s cell. Even if the court were to find that Simpson should have known of the risk presented when giving Bradley the blanket, when an official fails to act in the face of an obvious risk of which she should have known but did not, the official has not inflicted punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. See Farmer, 511 U.S. at 837-38. Therefore, the district court erred when it denied Simpson’s motion for summary judgment on qualified immunity grounds. -11-