Nels Johnson
Posted: 02/15/2009 05:52:06 PM PST
A central morgue and forensics facility should be established in Marin, the county grand jury says.
The jury reported that $1.75 million already set aside for a morgue is enough to lease, renovate and equip space for a modern facility, and urged the county to proceed.
County supervisors last week agreed to do just that, informally endorsing a staff plan to negotiate a lease with an option to buy a 12,000-square-foot building on East Francisco Boulevard in San Rafael. An estimated $1.75 million remodeling and equipment tab is about half of what officials expected to pay, and the money already has been tucked into the budget.
The jury's recommendation "is consistent with the direction we're heading," noted County Administrator Matthew Hymel.
A grand jury investigation under way for several months noted that the grand jury almost a decade ago called for a central morgue, but that several attempts to provide one have been fruitless. A plan for a morgue at the Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery was scuttled by neighborhood opposition several years ago.
As it stands, the coroner's office contract with three mortuaries for space in which to conduct autopsies at $225 per case. "The space available at each facility for coroner autopsies is small and cramped, with inadequate lighting and ventilation," the jury noted.
Coroner Ken Holmes, who operates on a $1.2 million annual budget, welcomed the jury's latest report. "I'm very happy they are so supportive, as was the grand jury in 2001," he said.
Holmes has been hounding county supervisors about a central morgue for years, often introducing himself as "Ken 'I-still-don't-have-a-central-facility' Holmes."
Holmes said that while there was some initial thought about including a morgue in a $104 million public safety building planned at the Civic Center, he "opted out" of becoming part of the program, saying "it will be an awfully long time before that building gets built, if it gets built." In addition, including a morgue in the plan would further incite Santa Venetia neighbors who want no part of the public safety structure, he said.
The jury also recommended the coroner's office "not be consolidated" with the sheriff's department, in light of quality and efficiency concerns, as well as cost issues, because sheriff's pay scales are higher than those in the coroner's office.
But Hymel said officials could not rule out a merger of the coroner's and sheriff's offices at some point in light of a move to restructure and consolidate county operations. "We need to take a look at it," he said.
Both Holmes and Sheriff Bob Doyle are elected officials, but a procedure exists in which the offices could be merged. The jury noted that 47 of the state's 58 counties allow the sheriff to assume duties of the coroner.
The jury observed that because security is insufficient at local morgue facilities, most crime-related coroner cases are taken to Napa's new $18 million public safety building that includes a modern morgue. Napa charges Marin up to $1,450 per case.
While the coroner's office has maintained a staff of seven for three decades, its workload can be substantial.
"In 2008, the coroner received reports of 874 deaths and investigated 647 cases, with autopsies required in 209 of them," the jury reported. "There were 50 coroner cases not requiring autopsy. Of the coroner cases, 110 were deemed natural deaths, 56 were suicides, 10 were homicides (including four vehicular homicides), two were industrial accidents, five were traffic accidents, 43 were other accidents and eight cases are still pending."
In addition, "there were 25 cases in which manner of death could not be determined, generally in drug overdose deaths that could be either accidental or suicide."
Of the suicides, 20 were Golden Gate Bridge jumpers. "Because of these suicides and an average of two or three suicides per year at San Quentin, Marin County has the highest per capita suicide rate in the country," the jury reported.
Contact Nels Johnson via e-mail at ij.civiccenter@gmail.com
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_11703978
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