2017-01-17 Coroner UpdateUpdate with Coroner
January 17, 2017
10:56 a.m.
Present: Commissioner Stamper, Commissioner Fund, Commissioner Jackson, Warren McLeod.
Guest: Sharyn Decker
Recorder: Rieva Lester
Warren McLeod gave an update on the following statistics:
2017 year-to-date: 0 homicides, 0 suicides, 2 accidental deaths, 0 undetermined deaths
2016 (770 deaths): 1 homicide, 12 suicides, 18 accidental deaths, 12 undetermined deaths
Warren said the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it will pay the roughly $2,600 for the two Dig Classes
in 2017.
Warren said the University of North Texas will no longer provide DNA testing at no charge. He said it’s a
three-year turnaround time for the free testing (for non-criminal cases). Warren said the University of
Oklahoma has for-charge testing with a turnaround time of roughly one week or less.
Warren said for 2017, the county already has five people that may qualify for indigent cremations. He
said the Coroner’s Office budgets for three annually.
Warren discussed a grant for tablets that can be used as cameras. He also talked about sharing audit
costs with Cowlitz County.
He gave an overview of the Coroner Office’s community involvement for 2017, including two or three
mock DUIs, drowning prevention, traffic safety, suicide prevention, etc.
Warren gave an update on the staffing at the Coroner’s Office. He said his department has 12 total
employees, of which two are full-time employees and 10 are extra help. Of the 12: three have master’s
degrees, two have bachelor’s degrees, four have associate degrees and two are working on their
associate degrees. He also said five are ABMDI and four are working toward it.
Meeting ended at 11:05 a.m.