The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) under New York Attorney General Letitia James has released a report on the death of Miles Dignean, who died after an encounter with law enforcement in Oswego County on March 21, 2025. The investigation reviewed body-worn camera footage, crime scene evidence, officer interviews, and ballistics reports.
On the day of the incident, officers from the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) and New York State Police (NYSP) went to a house in Constantia to serve Mr. Dignean with an order of protection. The order required him to stay away from certain individuals, including a child present at the home. A 911 call had also requested a welfare check at that address. When officers informed Mr. Dignean that they needed to remove the child due to the order, a struggle followed during which Mr. Dignean swung a metal object at officers and struck an NYSP trooper in the head. During the ongoing struggle, an OCSO deputy fired his gun and struck Mr. Dignean, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
According to OSI’s findings: “A prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law.” Under state law, police are permitted to use deadly physical force if they reasonably believe it is necessary for defense against deadly force by another person.
The report also found that OCSO did not have written policies regarding responses to people in crisis and recommended that all law enforcement agencies adopt such protocols and improve related training.
Further recommendations include passage of Daniel’s Law by the New York State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul. If enacted, Daniel’s Law would create non-police crisis response teams made up of emergency medical technicians as well as peers and family members for situations involving mental health or substance use crises.
Additionally, OSI continues to recommend all police departments equip officers with body-worn cameras.
The New York Attorney General’s office is led by Letitia James according to its official website. The office works through regional offices across New York State to address local legal issues, promotes social justice through civil rights enforcement and consumer advocacy, provides services such as fraud investigations and tenant dispute mediation as part of its mission, protects public safety and civil rights for residents statewide, and operates as both a law enforcement agency and legal advocate for New Yorkers across various domains.
