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Bannock County allows coroner vehicle lights with conditions; state police letter and written policy required
Summary
After debate, commissioners approved the coroner’s use of emergency-style lights on county coroner vehicles provided the office supplies Idaho State Police authorization, a written usage policy (including insurance and prosecutor sign-off), and limitations that the lights not be used to run code.
The Bannock County Board of Commissioners voted to permit the coroner’s office to equip county coroner vehicles with emergency-style lights, subject to conditions intended to limit use and liability.
Coroner Tory Danner told commissioners the lights are intended to improve scene safety on highways and to make motorists move over when the coroner is responding to interstate fatalities; he said the office is not seeking privileges to run lights-and-siren code or to exceed speed limits. Danner said the county applied to and received authorization from the Idaho State Police and that state police recommended red and white lighting as the most effective for getting motorists to move over.
Commissioners expressed a range of views. Some said amber (yellow) lights are more appropriate for a service vehicle and warned against creating confusion with emergency response vehicles; others said an elected department head should be afforded discretion to operate his department within legal limits. Several commissioners urged a clear written policy to prevent personnel from treating the lights as authority to run code.
A motion to allow the lights carried on the condition that the coroner provide a letter from Idaho State Police documenting authorization, a written policy governing use for insurance and operational purposes, and sign-off from the county prosecutor and the county’s insurance provider. Commissioners also noted cost estimates discussed at the meeting ranged from roughly $1,000 for plug-and-play units to about $5,000 per vehicle for permanently mounted systems; the coroner said some equipment has already been purchased and that units in question were not hardwired but plug-and-play.
The board did not direct a change in color but recorded the record that Idaho State Police preference was for red and white; several commissioners said they preferred to start with amber and revisit if necessary. The coroner and attorneys agreed the coroner’s vehicles would not be used to run code and that the county, prosecutor and insurer would review the usage policy before full deployment.
