At UCLA, a new book on lives lost to police violence is grounded in student research

Listen 0:45 At UCLA, a new book on lives lost to police violence is grounded in student research Professor Terence Keel teaches students to examine autopsy reports and death records — and to think critically about how in-custody deaths affect families and society.

On a recent rainy afternoon, a handful of students gathered in a small UCLA classroom to pore over autopsy reports and death records.

They took turns presenting different cases, sharing what they’d gleaned from documents about people who died at the hands of police. After an overview, they honed in on the reports’ details.

As part of the university’s BioCritical Studies Lab , the significance of the students’ work extends far beyond the classroom.

Terence Keel, a professor in the Department of African American Studi