The director of Cincinnati's police oversight agency is calling for an independent medical examiner to review the autopsy of a man who died after officers took him to jail.

        Kimberly Gray, acting manager of the Office of Municipal Investigation, said because Jermaine Hill, 29, died at the Hamilton County Justice Center, an outside expert should review the county coroner's report.

        “OMI notes that the (jail) has the right to refuse any inmate they feel needs medical treatment,” Ms. Gray said in a report to City Council.

        Mr. Hill, of Madisonville, died of an overdose on Oct. 4 after being arrested by police who reportedly tried to stop him from swallowing crack cocaine.

        “After being sprayed with chemical irritant, Mr. Hill spit out several rocks of crack,” Ms. Gray said in her report. “The officers then asked Mr. Hill several times if he had swallowed any of the crack and Mr. Hill denied that he had.”

        But Mr. Hill's mother, Brenda Davis, said the police never should have taken her son's word for it. They should have immediately taken him to the hospital, she said.

        He was booked into jail at 4:45 a.m. and had a seizure 45 minutes later. He was taken to University Hospital and pronounced dead at 6:18 a.m.

        “I hate that there are 15 men who died in conflict with police,” Ms. Davis said Monday. “But I think Jermaine is the 16th. I think his name should be added to the list.”

        She said the request for an independent investigator doesn't get to the root of the problem, which is whether police followed proper procedure in taking her son to jail when they clearly saw him put drugs in his mouth.

        Ms. Davis, who has complained publicly to council, said there are conflicts between Ms. Gray's report and the police report.

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