What data sources were used to create the Linked Homicide File?
We linked selected death records from the California Department of Health Services with the complete homicide file from the California Department of Justice (DOJ). Death records are compiled from death certificates completed by either the attending physician at the time of death or, in the case of sudden and unexpected deaths such as homicides, by the medical examiner or coroner in the county in which the death occurred. The homicide file consists of Supplemental Homicide Reports, completed by the investigating law enforcement agency when they determine that the manner of death was homicide, as well as other information from Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and news clippings.
